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

For the following three pitchers, they may be more of a longshot because they are part of teams that are currently in the playoff chase, but if their teams should falter and fall further away from contention in the coming weeks, they could potentially be available for the Jays to pounce on.

José Alvarado, Philadelphia Phillies

With their recent hot streak since the beginning of June, the Phillies have put themselves right back into the playoff picture. Among the key players that have helped the Phillies in their ascension up the standings, José Alvarado has certainly come up huge for the ballclub. So far this year, Alvarado has posted a brilliant 1.38 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, with six saves and six holds, along with 39 strikeouts over 26 innings. One should also recall he was instrumental in the Phillies run to the World Series just last year as well.

With such a reliable pitcher coming up big in the biggest moments, that is exactly what the Jays need to bolster their bullpen. In addition, Alvarado is a lefty, so along with his shutdown ability, he would work perfectly to balance the Jays’ bullpen and also serve as a secondary closer if needed at the same time. For once, they certainly can’t miss with this one; they just have to play the waiting game for now.

Craig Kimbrel, Philadelphia Phillies

Aside from Alvarado, his current teammate Craig Kimbrel has been having a solid season himself too with the Phillies so far in 2023. After a few poor outings to start the season, which made Phillies’ fans worried that Kimbrel was a bad offseason signing, he has definitely turned his game around in recent weeks, helping the Phillies go on their recent torrid run. For the season, Kimbrel has a solid 5-1 winning record with 14 saves, to go along with a 3.41 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, giving up only 14 earned runs, 14 walks and 57 strikeouts in 37 innings pitched.

As it appears that Kimbrel has gained back some of his mojo from his pre-2019 days, the fact that he is now 35 and seemed to have regressed a bit from his prime years, he may or may not be worth the gamble, pending on which other relievers are available at the deadline. However, his recent surge may have proven otherwise that he has still got some game left. Simply put, if both Alvarado and Kimbrel become available, the Jays should not hesitate and try to jump on one of them quickly, or even try to go big and get them packaged together in a blockbuster.