How did the Blue Jays’ AL East rivals fare at the trade deadline?

After quite the underwhelming trade deadline for the Toronto Blue Jays, many have wondered if the Jays even did enough to make themselves contenders down the stretch. After all, important aspects such as adding starting pitching depth and an impactful power bat never materialized, with only the addition of bullpen depth along with insurance for the currently injured Bo Bichette was addressed. In doing so, will the Jays be at a disadvantage compared to their rivals going into the final two months of the season?

Here, we take a look at how some of the Jays’ AL East rivals have done at the trade deadline with regards to upgrading their teams and what potential impact it could have on the Jays in their playoff chase.

Boston Red Sox

As the team currently trailing the Jays and in closest competition for the third and final Wild Card spot, the Boston Red Sox pulled off quite the underwhelming trade deadline, even more so than the Jays. They just made a measly, minor trade transaction with the Milwaukee Brewers in adding INF Luis Urias in exchange for minor league pitching prospect Bradley Blalock for some infield depth.

If extended back beyond a week prior to the deadline, they actually traded away utilityman Kiké Hernández to the Los Angeles Dodgers for two pitching prospects in Nick Robertson and Justin Hagenman. So in retrospect, Urias kind of replaces Hernández as the backup depth on the roster, but Hernández obviously has been the more proven veteran of the two, so on paper it appears to be a step backwards for the ballclub.

Potential impact on the Jays: None – Or actually, maybe it does have an impact on the Jays because the fact that the Red Sox probably got slightly worse, it increases the chances of the Jays pulling away from the Red Sox in the playoff chase and have one less foe to worry about down the road.

New York Yankees

As a perennial playoff contender year after year, the New York Yankees actually find themselves currently in an unusual position this year, sitting in last place in the AL East division, but still having an outside shot at a playoff Wild Card spot in the process. Because of that, they weren’t sellers at the trade deadline, but at the same time, they didn’t end up being big-time buyers either.

In the end, the Yankees acquired reliever Keynan Middleton from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for RHP prospect Juan Carela. Middleton has a 2-2 record with a 3.96 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 16 walks and 47 strikeouts in 36.1 innings pitched this season with the struggling White Sox ballclub and should provide middle innings relief depth for the Yankees down the stretch.

In a more minor transaction, the Yankees also obtained pitcher Spencer Howard from the Texas Rangers for cash considerations. Howard, a former top MLB pitching prospect, will provide pitching depth for the Yankees while pitching in their minor league system in the meantime. Howard made three appearances for the Rangers at the major league level this season, giving up four hits, four earned runs, three walks and two strikeouts in 3.1 innings of work.

Potential impact on the Jays: None – Both pitching acquisitions by the Yankees don’t even really move the needle in terms of enhancing their chances of making the playoffs, making it less likely that they will catch the Jays due to the trade deadline acquisitions. Their actual key to success instead will be the overall impact Aaron Judge will have coming back from his injury for the ballclub.

Baltimore Orioles

Finally, for the division-leading Orioles, the rich just got richer as they added one of the prime starting pitching trade targets in Jack Flaherty of the St. Louis Cardinals to their already solid pitching staff for the postseason run. In exchange, the Orioles gave up three prospects in INF César Prieto, LHP Drew Rom and RHP Zach Showalter, while preserving all of their top prospects in the organization in the process. For 2023, Flaherty has posted a 7-6 winning record, to go along with a 4.43 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, with 106 strikeouts in 109.2 innings pitched over 20 starts. Those numbers have been decent for a back end of the rotation starter, but if Flaherty can eventually regain his prior dominant form in the past, the Orioles could suddenly be a scary team down the stretch and most likely into the postseason as well.

In addition, the Orioles also made a couple under-the-radar moves in acquiring flamethrower Shintaro Fujinami from the Oakland Athletics prior to the trade deadline to bolster their bullpen, as well as RHP Logan Rinehart from the Seattle Mariners at the deadline for pitching depth in the minors. Fujinami’s stuff can be electric and a potential difference maker, but has struggled with control for much of the season to provide full value for what its worth.

Potential impact on the Jays: Moderate– Again, similar to the Rays, the Orioles addressed their need to bolster starting pitching depth while the Jays stood pat with theirs. If Fujinami can also somehow harness his stuff and be a force in the final two months of the season, the Orioles could be unstoppable. As a result, the Orioles look to maintain their hold of first place in the division as they head into the stretch run, with hopes to keep the Rays at bay in the process. At the same time, unfortunately, it will definitely be difficult now for the Jays to bypass both powerhouse teams.

Overall, the Jays probably did enough to potentially keep the Red Sox and Yankees behind them for the rest of the season, but not enough to have the chance to pass both the Rays and Orioles to win the division title down the stretch. So their main focus should really be to make sure they nail down one of the Wild Card spots for the playoffs by the end of the season.