Blue Jays: Initial trade deadline disappointment starting to wane

Looking back to earlier this month, lots of Blue Jays fans were initially disappointed in how the trade deadline unfolded for Canada’s only MLB team. While the month leading up to the August 2nd deadline was pretty quiet given the apparent seller’s market and the Juan Soto trade rumours waiting to unfold, the Jays did make a few moves before the final bell.

When all was said and done, Ross Atkins and co. acquired relievers Anthony Bass and Zach Pop from the Miami Marlins, starter Mitch White and prospect Alex De Jesus from the Los Angeles Dodgers, and utility player Whit Merrifield from the Kansas City Royals.

Heading the opposite way was top prospect Jordan Groshans (Marlins), pitcher Max Castillo and 2B/OF Samad Taylor (Dodgers), and pitchers Nick Frasso and Moises Brito (Royals) while also trading reliever Jeremy Beasley to the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash considerations.

At the time, the Blue Jays’ trade deadline acquisitions seemed to lack in comparison to other playoff-bound teams like the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros.

The Jays were tied to a few different players at the deadline like Noah Syndergaard and Raisel Iglesias but both were traded elsewhere, while other players/pitchers who could have helped the Jays like Michael Fulmer and David Robertson were also dealt to other teams. Factor in that other playoff contenders like the Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, and Houston Astros all got better as well at the deadline with arguably more impactful acquisitions, fans were pretty disappointed the Jays didn’t do more given the current roster.

Fast forward to the end of August and the Blue Jays acquisitions are already starting to make their mark.

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.