Blue Jays: Initial trade deadline disappointment starting to wane

Anthony Bass has been an absolute beast in the bullpen, sporting a 0.90 ERA with just six hits and one earned run through 10.0 innings, walking four batters compared to 10 strikeouts.

He has been used in high leverage situations anywhere between the six to eight-inning area and most recently gained additional fans when he came in relief against Boston two days ago and struck out Kike Hernandez and Bobby Dalbec with runners on base to keep the score tied, with the Blue Jays eventually winning in extra innings.

Zach Pop has also done well when with the Jays, allowing just two earned runs through 6.2 innings. He has given up his fair share of hits (nine) and is not striking out many batters (one) but he keeps runners off the board, sporting a 153 ERA+ and not allowing a walk so far since joining the Jays.

Pop was sent down to AAA because he was the only member in the bullpen with options available when Tim Mayza was moved off the injured list and ready to return to the big leagues. He has made one appearance with the Buffalo Bisons since the demotion, sporting a clean inning while striking out two batters.

With rosters expanding soon, Pop is one name who will likely be near the top of the list for being called back to the big leagues.

At the time of the trade, nobody was really sure why the Jays traded for Whit Merrifield considering he was not part of the Kansas City Royals contingent prior to the All-Star break because he was unvaccinated. That has since changed, as Merrifield was able to enter Canada after the trade and is no longer subject to Canadian and American COVID-19 quarantine regulations.

Merrifield has posted a .250/.327/.318 slash line with a .645 OPS through 44 at-bats with the Blue Jays. He has one home run, a wall scrapper in New York that took two bounces off the wall before jumping into the bullpen, and has used his speed on the base paths to help the Jays win ballgames, most notably in Minnesota when he slide into Gary Sanchez, who was blocking home plate and gave the Jays the lead.

Defensively, Merrifield has been a utility player, splitting time between second base, center field, and right field, having yet to commit an error. He looks solid at both positions and has also been used in late-game situations as a pinch runner or defensive replacement when needed.

Mitch White was acquired from the Dodgers as a “Ross Stripling 2.0” type, with the ability to pitch in either the rotation or bullpen as needed. He did well with the Dodgers this season and at first, was optioned down to AAA once he joined the Jays (where he was at the time with Los Angeles) until Stripling went on the IL and White was called up, making his first start against the Twins earlier this month.

Since then, White has authored a 3.31 ERA through three starts, going a minimum of four innings per start and allowing only five earned runs off 16 hits compared to 10 strikeouts. He also owns a 2.52 FIP and has taken Yusei Kikuchi’s spot in the rotation for the time being, as the left-hander has struggled with his fastball command and has been moved to the bullpen. He will make the start tonight against the Los Angeles Angels.

Alex De Jesus started off in the Rookie League, playing in two games before being moved to High-A Vancouver on August 10th. Now ranked as the Jays #16 top prospect, De Jesus currently owns a .208/.309/.250 slash line with two doubles, six RBI, and a .559 OPS through 48 at-bats.

He has been a bit wild at the plate, striking out 23 times through 12 games compared to seven walks, something the Domincian product will be developing and working on over time. He currently slots in at shortstop and owns a .960 fielding percentage with just one error.