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

Currently, the Toronto Blue Jays are fighting for their lives for the third and final Wild Card spot in the American League. As they look to strengthen their position in the coming weeks, many may look back to how their work at the trade deadline has impacted the team up until now and if the recruited players will make a difference in their quest to the playoffs.

So far, the acquisition of Paul DeJong has been quite disappointing, as other than some steady defence, he hasn’t really gotten it going at the plate, with only three hits in 44 at-bats in total. Unfortunately for DeJong, things have gotten worse as he has been designated for assignment recently with the activation of Bo Bichette off the IL. On the other hand, the acquisitions of both Jordan Hicks and Génesis Cabrera have been quite solid thus far for the Jays.

For Hicks, other than his rough debut with the Jays following the trade deadline, he has been generally solid, whether he was the setup man or the closer. In the eight games following his debut, he has gone 1-2 with three saves and two holds, along with a 2.57 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and eight strikeouts in seven innings pitched. More importantly, when he is on his game with his blazing fastball, he can mow down the hitters at the plate with ease.

Even more surprising has been the work of Cabrera and what he has accomplished so far with the Jays. After beginning the year with the St. Louis Cardinals and struggling for much of the 2023 season, he has been absolutely dynamite for the Jays since joining the team back in July. In 13 appearances, he has posted a 1-0 record, with a 0.00 ERA, 0.49 WHIP, giving up only three unearned runs, two walks and 10 strikeouts over 12.1 innings of work.

Both additions have definitely bolstered the Jays’ bullpen tremendously, as they look to be potential difference makers for the ballclub down the stretch. With that, we will take a look at some of the past trade deadline acquisitions made by the Blue Jays that ended up paying huge dividends for them that resulted in a playoff berth by the end of the season. Here, we sincerely hope that the acquisitions made by the Jays this year could produce some similar results as seen in the past.