Breaking down where the Blue Jays’ trade deadline prospects now rank in the system

The Toronto Blue Jays injected their farm system with some new talent during the MLB trade deadline. Between the deals made over the weekend and into Monday (Aug. 3) they added six prospects, four of which landed within their top 30 list according to MLB pipeline.

The Blue Jays landed LHP Dasan Hill, 2B Dameury Pena, and RHP John Klein from Minnesota in exchange for RHP Jeff Hoffman. They got RHP Josh Stephan as part of the deal to send Adam Macko to the Rangers. They also acquired OF Brett Bateman and INF Ty Southisene from Chicago Cubs for RHP Kevin Gausman, whose wife shared a heartfelt message to Blue Jays' fans after the trade was announced.

While they did ship out their No. 2 overall prospect in Arjun Nimmala in a deal to land José Soriano, you could argue that the Blue Jays system may have taken a step forward with the players they brought in. The whole system was re-ranked just ahead of the deadline and the top four remained the same with JoJo Parker at No. 1, followed by Arjun Nimmala, Nolan Perry and Johnny King. The Nimmala trade pushes everyone up a peg, with Perry landing and No. 2, King at No. 3 and 18-year-old Juan Sanchez jumping into the top four.

The six-foot-three, 180 pound Sanchez has been enjoying a fine first professional season with Single-A Dunedin, hitting .227/.302/.368 with seven home runs, ten stolen bases and 66 hits in 74 games played. He'll be a name to keep an eye on over the next few seasons as he matures and fills out.

But the newcomers are no pushovers and have pushed their way onto the list. Starting with left-hander Hill, who immediately becomes one of the more intriguing arms in the organization. He now ranks as the Blue Jays’ No. 6 prospect and gives the organization another young arm to dream on.

The six-foot-five 20-year-old can touch 99 mph with his fastball that averages 95 mph. Hill has leaned on a low-80s sweeper as his primary secondary pitch, while also showing a bigger upper-70s curveball that has generated swings and misses. His changeup remains important against right-handed hitters, especially if the Blue Jays believe they can help him refine the overall shape of his arsenal.

If Hill can cut down on his walks and attack the zone more consistently he will be an exciting pitcher to add to Toronto's growing pipeline.

Southisene is Toronto's No. 17 prospect. A fourth-round pick in 2024, Southisene has already shown the ability to get on base and make contact in the lower levels of the minors. Between Single-A and High-A this season he is hitting .306 with a .797 OPS in 66 games. He has more walks than strikeouts (41-37) and and has 31 stolen bases. He stole 41 bags in 91 games last season.

Bateman was also picked up in the Gausman trade and ranks No. 20. Bateman has plus-plus speed, strong contact skills and the range to cover plenty of ground in centre field. He has used that speed to pile up stolen bases in the minors with 83 bags swiped in 315 games since his first year in 2023.

He's currently slashing .312/.430/.421 with 60 walks and 66 strikeouts and three home runs in 82 games with the Iowa Cubs in Triple-A. The 24-year-old and has a good chance to impact the Blue Jays roster plans next season.

At No. 25 is Klein, another piece from the Hoffman trade. The 24-year-old righty already has some MLB experience under his belt, pitching in three games earlier this season, where he allowed three hits, one home run, four walks and had two strikeouts in 4.1 innings pitched. He's mostly pitched in Triple-A this year, keeping hitters to a .253 batting average in 64 innings, with 74 strikeouts are solid numbers, but he's also given up 14 home runs in 24 games pitched (14 starts).

Stephan and Pena landed outside the top 30. Stephan was pitching in the Pacific Coast league which can inflate offensive numbers, and hurt pitchers in the process. He managed to limit walks though, posting a 2.76 BB/9 and his expected numbers were better than his actual numbers. The 24-year-old has pitched 101 innings this season and his cieling could depend on whether the Blue Jays use him as a starter or a reliever.

Pena, meanwhile, is another contact-oriented player from the Twins system. He has hit .300 with strong bat-to-ball skills in the low minors, but his lack of power and limited defensive profile means he's got some work to do to get to the big leagues. The 20-year-old has only played in 25 games above Single-A, so there's lots of room to grow here.

Blue Jays may miss Nimmala, but this prospect haul could ease those concerns

Ever since the Blue Jays drafted Nimmala in the first round of the 2023 draft, keen eyed fans of the team had been anticipating his MLB debut. While it will no longer happen in a Blue Jays uniform, he will still be a fun prospect to watch from afar as he has all the tools necessary to get to the big leagues. For what it's worth, Nimmala immediately landed as the Angels' No. 2 prospect.

That may feel like a sting to the Blue Jays system as they had put some significant time and development into building up Nimmala as their potential shorstop of the future. But with JoJo Parker currently raking, Sanchez's continued development and the fact they have Andrés Giménez locked up long-term, that made Nimmala expendable.

This injection of prospects into their top 30 list also helps ease the sting somewhat as Blue Jays fans have some new, intriguing players to watch

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow