6 past trade deadline acquisitions that ended up helping the Blue Jays reach the postseason

Candy Maldonado (1991)

Back in 1991, the Blue Jays had a strong defensive outfield that consisted of seven-time Gold Glove winner Devon White in centre field and the power throwing Joe Carter in right field. However, left field remained a question mark as they utilized a revolving door of players featuring the likes of Glenallen Hill, Rob Ducey, and the now-struggling Mookie Wilson. Both White and Carter provided strong contributions both at the plate and on the field, but left field remained a black hole for the ballclub, as the team wasn’t getting much production out of the position.

Consequently, the Jays went out to grab a power-hitting, run-producing leftfielder in Candy Maldonado from the Milwaukee Brewers at the trade deadline. After all, he had reached double-digit home runs in four of the previous five seasons, along with averaging close to more than 70 RBI per season during the same time frame.

Following the arrival of Maldonado, he took the leftfielder job and ran with it as he provided the ballclub with the necessary offensive boost in the final few weeks of the season. In 52 games, Maldonado hit a respectable .277 with an .821 OPS, with 26 runs scored, nine doubles, seven home runs, 28 RBI and three stolen bases to top it off. In doing so, he helped stabilize the offensive output batting from the middle part of the order as they secured the division title and subsequent playoff berth.