Columnist image

| Archive

KANSAS CITY — Ken Giles’ elbow may or may not be a problem, nobody really knows.

The Toronto Blue Jays included.

After being unavailable Monday night for the second straight day, the club finally admitted the truth Tuesday, with Ken Rosenthal playing the role of PR and breaking the fact he was actually in Dallas getting an MRI on his troublesome right elbow.

The truth is the Blue Jays aren’t quite sure what’s going on inside the joint, all they know is Giles has told them it doesn’t feel right.

Structural damage has been ruled out and they hope the cortisone shot and two days of rest prescribed by Dr. Keith Meister is the cure for what they’re once again calling inflammation, but there’s a lot of mystery surrounding a situation that has been ongoing since at least the beginning of June when he needed a 10-day break on the injured list because of it.

The reason they’re confused is because the velocity and all of the performance markers have been in line with good health, and his dominant season out of the back end of the Jays bullpen has continued.

Since returning from the aforementioned IL stint on June 20, Giles holds a 2.70 ERA across just 10 innings, but the 16 strikeouts and .189 batting average against show he’s still been dominant and he’s been regularly touching 98-99 mph on the gun.

There’s so much confusion and misinformation that the Jays went to great lengths to provide some clarity — and control the message — prior to Tuesday’s game at Kauffman Stadium, making head athletic trainer Nikki Huffman available in a private meeting with writers for the first time this season.

Heading into Wednesday’s 4 p.m. ET trade deadline, his value is in the tank and the only way the 28-year-old will be on the move is if the Jays can somehow convince teams it’s nothing to worry about, and appy a discount to the original price tag, likely a significant one.

With another year of team control in 2020, the smart play would be to hold through the trade deadline, hope Giles can prove his elbow is fine over the final two months in a Blue Jays uniform, then peddle the high-leverage reliever this winter.

Another option would be taking it a step further and waiting until next year’s trade deadline, but that allows room for a whole lot of things to go wrong between now and then, similar to the Josh Donaldson fiasco.

Whether or not Giles will be on the move is in question, but GM Ross Atkins is expected to be busy regardless.

Here’s a look at the other trade chips the Blue Jays can cash in:

1B Justin Smoak
2020 contract status: Free agent

The market for first basemen has been cold for a couple of years now, but multiple clubs have checked in on the 32-year-old switch-hitter over the past couple of days and he was held out of Tuesday’s lineup in Kansas City.

Smoak’s overall slash line of .215/.357/.427 isn’t going to wow anybody, but his career high walk rate (16.7 per cent) and career low strikeout rate (19.8 per cent) show he’s been running into a bit of bad luck.

After posting batting averages on balls in play (BABIP) of .297 and .285 in 2018 and 2017, respectively, that number has sunk to just .220 this year.

RHP Daniel Hudson
2020 contract status: Free agent

A late addition to the roster in March after being let go by the Los Angeles Angels, Hudson has enjoyed an underrated four months in a Blue Jays uniform.

Since allowing three hits and a pair of earned runs on May 24, the right-hander has been simply lights out.

In 20 appearances since, Hudson has struck out 27 over 23.1 innings, leading to a stingy 1.54 ERA over the last two months.

The bullpen-needy Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves both have rumoured interest and it would be a surprise if Hudson isn’t traded by Wednesday’s deadline.

SS Freddy Galvis
2020 contract status: $5.5 million club option with $1 million buyout

After sitting out Monday’s series opener against the Royals with lower-back tightness, Galvis returned as the DH on Tuesday, but he won’t be getting his starting shortstop job back now that Bo Bichette is around.

That fact alone should give Atkins the motivation to find Galvis a new home, and his ability to play short, second and third is helpful.

His club option for next season adds an interesting wrinkle.

Atkins could try to find a team that thinks Galvis is worth $5.5 million next season or he could attach cash to the deal in order to cover the buyout.

RHP Joe Biagini
2020 contract status: Second arbitration year

With the failed starter experiment now in the rear-view mirror, Biagini has revived his career in the bullpen once again, pitching to a 3.75 ERA in 48 appearances.

The underlying numbers are even more encouraging as the quirky Biagini is getting swings and misses at a career-high rate (13.7 per cent) and his cutter has been a dominant pitch with a .188 batting average against.

Another attractive aspect is the fact he’s controlled through the 2022 season.

RHP Aaron Sanchez
2020 contract status: Final arbitration year

Just like Giles, Sanchez’s health and performance have been curious and in question for a long time.

After one of the worst months you can have as a pitcher in June, Sanchez has rebounded in July, especially over his last two starts.

According to multiple sources, teams have called on Sanchez with the idea of moving him to the bullpen, and the Jays are at least open to the idea of selling low on the 28-year-old righty.

You’d think with another year of team control and precious few rotation options on hand that the Jays would prefer to hold onto Sanchez and try to rebuild his value in the first half of 2020, but the reason they’re considering getting what they can now is even they’re not convinced that he can cut it in the rotation.

There’s so many options in play with Sanchez right now that nothing can be ruled out, including an attempt by Toronto to turn him into their closer next season if Giles is indeed dealt.​