Toronto Blue Jays acquire Yangervis Solarte from San Diego Padres
The Toronto Blue Jays have continued to solidify the middle of their infield, acquiring Yangervis Solarte from the San Diego Padres.
It has been a relatively quiet offseason for the Toronto Blue Jays. While the Yankees have packed plenty of excitement into their offseason, the Blue Jays have made a pair of trades to solidify the middle of their infield, landing Gift Ngoepe and Aledmys Diaz in trades. While that helped provide depth for the Blue Jays in the event of the annual Troy Tulowitzki injury, they still have a few holes on the roster.
One of those holes has reportedly been addressed. The San Diego Padres have sent infielder Yangervis Solarte to the Blue Jays in exchange for a pair of prospects, outfielder Edward Olivares and RHP Jared Carkuff.
The #Padres acquire OF Edward Olivares & RHP Jared Carkuff from the Blue Jays in exchange for INF Yangervis Solarte: https://t.co/77v6ll5wnl pic.twitter.com/6MYtVkNatz
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) January 6, 2018
For Toronto, this move represents a potential upgrade at second base. Devon Travis has struggled to stay healthy, and has not yet lived up to his potential. Darwin Barney has a great glove, but no offensive value. Solarte, who produced a .255/.314/.416 batting line with 18 homers, is a better option at this point. He could also be used as a super utility player, or serve as insurance in case the Blue Jays look to part ways with Josh Donaldson.
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In Olivares, the Padres have acquired the Blue Jays 18th overall prospect according to MLB.com. A potential five tool prospect, he struggled with inconsistency before putting everything together this past season. Splitting the 2017 campaign between Lansing and Dunedin, Olivares posted a .269/.327/.468 batting line, hitting 17 homers and stealing 20 bases. He gives San Diego another toolsy outfielder that could develop into an all around threat on the diamond.
While not the prospect that Olivares is, Karcuff rocketed through the Blue Jays system last year. The 35th round draft pick in the 2016 MLB Amateur Draft went from Low A to AAA last season, with few hiccups along the way. Overall, in his 63 innings, Karcuff posted a 3.86 ERA and a 1.175 WHiP, striking out 51 batters while issuing only 15 walks. He notched eight saves last year, but looks more likely to become a middle reliever in the majors.
This move, at least from the Blue Jays side, may be a harbinger of other moves to come. There is now a backlog in the middle of the Toronto infield, making it likely that another player will end up being on the move. Even though Ngoepe is likely to begin the 2018 season in the minors, Toronto really has five players for four spots, if we include third base in the discussion.
Next: Blue Jays top ten prospects
The Toronto Blue Jays have solidified second base by acquiring Yangervis Solarte. However, they may not be done making moves in their infield.