Toronto Blue Jays Trade Deadline Overview

With one of the more potent lineups in baseball, the Toronto Blue Jays were expected to get off to a roaring start in 2016.  But with some of their stars struggling, Toronto has yet to hit a consistent groove.

Despite losing David Price to free agency in the offseason, the Toronto Blue Jays appeared to have enough depth in their pitching staff to uphold what should be a forceful offense.  The Jays are currently 29-26 and third in the American League East, but that record looks much better than the sub-.500 mark they owned exiting April.

After finishing 2015 as the top offense in baseball, the Jays have yet to hit a stride at the plate, as they’re currently 14th in the majors with 232 runs scored.  Aside from Troy Tulowitzki, most of their stars are hitting for power, and even Michael Saunders has emerged as one of the better contact hitters on the team.  But Russell Martin has struggled tremendously to start the season, and a proven backup may be necessary.

With questions surrounding the pitching staff entering the season, the team has been rock solid on the mound.  They’re currently 6th in the majors with a 3.58 ERA and are averaging 2.94 walks per nine innings.

Budding ace Marcus Stroman has yet to assert himself as a force atop the rotation, but Marco Estrada and J.A. Happ have pitched admirably at the back-end of the rotation.

The bullpen, aside from closer Roberto Osuna, has been one of the areas of concern and may be where the team looks to add pieces to catch the first place Boston Red Sox down the stretch.  But after whiffing – to this point – on the struggling Drew Storen in the offseason, the Jays may be reluctant to give up major pieces for a reliever.

Now that the Blue Jays are heating up, it’s almost certain that they’ll be buyers heading into this year’s trade deadline.  Here’s a look at a few areas they can improve, and which pieces they’ll have to move.

Next: Adding a Southpaw to the Bullpen

Where to Improve

The Bullpen

After acquiring Jason Grilli from the Atlanta Braves, there’s not one glaring need on the Blue Jays roster as they head into the summer.  But acquiring a 39-year-old reliever like wasn’t the exact solution general manager Ross Atkins had in mind.

Adding one more reliable bullpen piece to complement Osuna and surprise standout Joe Biagini will likely be enough to shore up any concerns the Jays have going forward.  With only one left-hander in the bullpen, it would make sense for Toronto to target another reliable southpaw.

Currently, the only lefty in the Jays bullpen is Aaron Loup, who is filling in for the injured Brett Cecil. While Cecil may have been able to handle the role as lefty specialist in season’s past, that hasn’t been the case this season.

Before he went on the disabled list on May 15, Cecil had pitched to a 5.23 ERA with a 3.81 FIP. While his FIP indicates Cecil should be better, his numbers are much worse than a season ago.  Last season, Cecil finished with a 2.48 ERA and 11.60 K/9.  Compare that to now, and he’s only striking out 7.84 batters per nine innings.

The Jays main bullpen priority will likely be a left-hander, but there’s always the chance they add another righty to the mix, too.

Next: Struggles Behind the Plate

Where to Improve

Backup Catcher

While Martin won’t be benched with his hefty contract anytime soon, the Jays are in dire need of another catcher to shoulder the load while Martin figures things out at the plate.  The 33-year-old is currently slashing .192/.253/.265 with only three homers and a career-worst 30.7 percent strikeout rate.

Although Martin improved  in May with a .230 average, he was only hitting .150 in April and has looked lost at the plate.  Martin’s struggles aren’t hard to explain, as he’s simply not making consistent contact with the ball.  Much of his at-bats end with him chasing pitches just outside the zone or swinging early.

Some of his struggles can be attributed to a low .263 BABIP, but he hit .240 last season with a .262 BABIP.  It may just take time for Martin to improve at the plate.  But until then, the Jays will need to look into replacing his struggling backup, Josh Thole.

Thole’s career has been based off of providing solid defense behind the plate while being a less than exciting hitter.  But this season, his offense has been horrendous.  The 29-year-old is only hitting .143 with a .448 OPS.  And his defense has been less than spectacular, so a new backup backstop may be in order north of the border.

Next: Targeting a Lefty in the Twin Cities

Potential Trade Options: Relievers

While the Jays would salivate over the idea of trading for Colorado’s closer Jake McGee, who was a lock down reliever in the past two seasons with Tampa Bay, it’s unlikely that they’d be willing to part with the prospects necessary to get a deal done.  A much more realistic candidate also plays up north, Minnesota’s Fernando Abad.

The 30-year-old has quietly been one of the best relievers in the game this season, as he currently owns a 0.93 ERA with a 2.04 FIP.  Abad can do it all on the mound, whether it be groundouts or strikeouts.  His K/9 this season stands at a solid 8.38, while he also has managed to generate ground balls 54.9 percent of the time.

While playing for a struggling Minnesota team and Glen Perkins – when healthy – entrenched as the team’s closer, it’s likely they’d be willing to part with him to shore up the farm system.  Abad is also still in arbitration, so the Jays would have him under team control for at least a few more seasons.

Toronto could possibly get a deal done by sending number 11 prospect Ryan Bouricki, a lefty who’s shown flashes of dominance this season, and 1B/OF Ryan McBroom, a 24-year-old with some pop.

The Deal:

Toronto Sends: LHP Ryan Bouricki and 1B/OF Ryan McBroom

Minnesota Sends: LHP Fernando Abad

If the Jays are looking for a right-handed reliever, Los Angeles Angels’ righty Fernando Salas has had a bounceback season and looks to be available as the Angels continue to fall in the standings.  It just comes down to the Jays desire to have two Fernando’s in their bullpen.

Next: Backup Out West