10 relief pitchers the Blue Jays should target at the trade deadline

Adam Ottavino, New York Mets

As it appears more and more that this year just won’t be happening for the Mets, they have a couple of arms in their relief corps that should draw the Jays’ interest. One of them is veteran Adam Ottavino. Despite approaching the ripe age of 38 soon, he has had a semi-productive season with the struggling Mets thus far. For 2023, he has posted a 3.72 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, to go along with six saves and ten holds, with 38 strikeouts in 36.1 innings pitched.

Even just last year, he posted some of his strongest numbers in his career, showing that he still has something left in the tank. More significantly, it probably won’t cost the Jays much to obtain his services compared to some of the aforementioned options. But if the Jays want someone who isn’t just solid but could have a much bigger impact, look no further than to his teammate next on the list below.

David Robertson, New York Mets

David Robertson has been a bonafide MLB reliever throughout his career. He has been a solid, consistent pitcher ever since his debut with the New York Yankees almost a decade and a half ago. Surprisingly, he has actually gotten even better with age, with his performances last year and this year being two of his strongest seasons of his career. As the current Mets’ closer, Robertson has a blazing 2.08 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, giving up only nine earned runs with 11 walks and 46 strikeouts in 39.1 innings of work.

With his dominance and strong track record, he will most likely cost a lot more than what the Jays can package for Ottavino, but definitely a lot less than what would be needed for a prime Hader. Nevertheless, if the Jays are aiming big and want a difference maker, look no further than to recruit this former divisional rival that decimated Jays’ hitters for almost over a span of 10 years, as it may be about time he join forces to help the Jays do it to other teams from now on.