When they traded for Troy Tulowitzki you knew the Toronto Blue Jays were probably not stopping there. Those suspicions were confirmed this afternoon when the Jays completed a deal for the top starting pitcher still on the market, acquiring left-hander David Price from the Detroit Tigers. Despite reported interest from a wide range of teams including the Dodgers, Giants, Astros and Yankees, Toronto swooped in to continue their dramatic midseason makeover.
Going to Detroit in the deal are Jays lefty pitching prospects Daniel Norris, Jairo Labourt and Matt Boyd. Prior to the season, MLB.com ranked Norris as its #17 prospect in baseball. He began the season in Toronto’s rotation and made five starts before being sent down.
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The Jays have underachieved thus far in 2015, owning a 51-51 record despite an AL-best +100 run differential. Pressure was mounting on GM Alex Anthopoulos to make upgrades at the deadline and, to his credit, he has done so in impressive fashion. Tulowitzki bolsters an already-potent lineup at a premium position, and Price gives the starting rotation the surefire ace it has been lacking.
Price is no stranger to the American League East, of course, and he should have little trouble improving the Toronto starting staff’s 4.34 ERA (23rd in the league). He has been putting together his usual strong, workhorse-type season through 21 starts with the Tigers, boasting a 2.53 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 8.5 K/9 in 146 innings.
If it wasn’t already, the message from the Blue Jays is abundantly clear: they aim to win this year. Though Tulowitzki is under contract through 2020, Price is an impending free agent and there is no telling if Toronto will be able to keep him when he hits the market this winter. If he ends up a rental, they intend for him to be a highly worthwhile and productive one.
The Jays have a sizable hill to climb within their division, currently sitting seven games behind the Yankees. The teams are scheduled to cross swords 13 more times this season, however, and those games could make a serious difference in the final standings. On the Wild Card side of things, they are only two games out of the second spot, presently occupied by Minnesota. After these major additions, the Jays are looking like a much stronger bet to make the postseason (for the first time since 1993) one way or another.
Toronto appears to be a clear trade deadline winner at this point, but with almost a full day left before non-waiver business closes, plenty of unexpected transactions can still take place to alter teams’ fates over the final two months of the campaign.