Analyzing FOX Sports' Blue Jays-Shohei Ohtani trade package

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While the odds seem to favour Shohei Ohtani not being traded ahead of the Aug. 1 deadline, anything's still a possibility. With the recent trade for Lucas Giolito, it seems as if the Angels will buy at the deadline, not sell. Baseball can be an unpredictable beast, though. In this respect, the Blue Jays are one of the three most popular answers by baseball executives who were asked where he could wind up if he is moved.

Of course any chance of making this scenario feasible, would depend on what the Blue Jays could offer the Angels in return. Along these lines, Fox Sports' MLB staff put together 12 trade proposals including one for the only Major League team north of the border.

The question is, how good is the Blue Jays' trade package? Here is a breakdown of the five components of the proposed offer:

Santiago Espinal

If this was last season's version of Santiago Espinal, who had a career year and earned his first All-Star selection, it would be worth getting (a little) excited about. However, the 2023 version has been extremely disappointing in comparison.

Espinal is on course to set several offensive single-season lows, including batting average, OBP, slugging percentage and OPS. He's been limited to 54 appearances due to a combination of injuries and a platoon system at second base, but also just because he hasn't performed well enough on a consistent basis.

The 28-year-old has also seen some playing time at third base and shortstop, but has been underwhelming regardless of where he's lined up to play defensively. This is highlighted by seven errors, contributing towards a DWAR of just 0.1.

Ricky Tiedemann

As much as it would be tough to do this, any trade package has to include RIcky Tiedemann. He is the Blue Jays' number one prospect and the only one who regular features in the top-100 overall prospects in the various media outlets.

Most people rave about Tiedemann's elite level fastball, but his changeup is also a high-quality pitch. He has the added advantage of being a southpaw, and is projected as a number two starter in the Majors.

The only thing which might goes against the 2021 third round pick, is concern about his durability due to some recent injuries. This aside, he still has a promising future and his inclusion would at least give the Angels pause for some consideration.

Yosver Zulueta

Depending on where you look, Yosver Zulueta is either the number two or number three prospect in the Blue Jays' farm system. Regardless, his fastball is viewed as one of the best in the entire organization, to go along with a top-tier slider.

There is added intrigue/uncertaintly with Zulueta, in that he is equally capable at this point of projecting to be a starter or a long reliever in the Majors. However, his journey to this answer was compromised by Tommy John Surgery in 2020 and a torn ACL a year later.

Fortunately for everyone concerned, the 25-year-old came back in 2022 and showed what he could do at four different levels, including Triple-A Buffalo. He impressed in limited action this year during spring training, although it should be noted he has subsequently taken a step back in his production with the Bisons, (which has mostly been as a reliever).

Addison Barger

The Blue Jays selected Addison Barger in the sixth round in 2018, based on him being one of the best all-around high school players in that particular draft class. Patience has been key though, with his path to the Majors meeting plenty of challenges (including a lost season in 2020 due to COVID-19).

Barger is only sixth in the Blue Jays' farm system according to MLB.com although -- as noted by FOX Sports -- he was ranked 53rd in FanGraphs' top 100 for this year prospects. (Tiedemann was 24th.) This alludes to his potential as a physical specimen, highlighted by a powerful bat and strong arm.

The 23-year-old saw a dramatic rise through the system last year, which ended with him displaying explosive offence in eight games at the Triple-A level. He's not been as dynamic so far this year, but he has proven to be the ultimate team player defensively, seeing time at shortstop, third base and right field.

Otto Lopez

Aside from Espinal, Otto Lopez is the only other player in this package with any Major League experience, albeit just nine games and 11 plate appearances. For what it's worth though he's done extremely well with his very limited opportunities, as per his .600/.636/.600 slash line and 1.236 OPS.

The speedy Lopez is the lowest-ranked of the prospects in the proposed package, but the Blue Jays do like him. Arguably his best trait is his versatility, with him playing at every infield and outfield position during his time with the organization, save for first base.

The Dominican Republic native needs to learn more patience at the plate, as evidenced by striking out too much with his almost all-or-nothing approach. At the moment he looks likely to project as a depth player at the Major League level, which is not going to catch the eye of the Angels.

Overall

As expected, the Blue Jays' trade package is one of the more underwhelming ones proposed by the FOX Sports MLB staff. They have one of the worse farm systems of the 12 teams included and the overall offering is not a particularly enticing one for the Angels.

Of course it's still fun to consider the possibilities, given we are talking about bringing in a player who is already been mentioned as one of the best of all time. Ultimately though the Blue Jays' chances of obtaining Ohtani are poor, with the proposed trade package only highlighting this.

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