Olney: Blue Jays are going to be aggressive at trade deadline

The Toronto Blue Jays are in prime position heading into the second half of the season.

The club set a franchise record for wins before the All-Star Break (54) and hold a two-game lead over the New York Yankees for first in the American League East.

With the MLB trade deadline set for July 31, general manager Ross Atkins has just over two weeks to bolster the Jays’ roster ahead of the playoffs.

Speaking with TSN Radio on Wednesday, ESPN’s Buster Olney says the perception around the league is that Atkins and the Blue Jays will be aggressive in making additions, specifically, in seeking bullpen help.

“The Blue Jays are going to be aggressive. Now, the question is: How does that manifest because there's not going to be a huge volume of players available,” Olney said. “One executive believes the Blue Jays will lock in on bullpen help. Maybe that's with the Minnesota Twins. Maybe that's with the Cleveland Guardians who have told other teams that they're willing to talk about anyone other than Emmanuel Clase and Cade Smith in their bullpen. That's the perception. Bullpen help is going to be a focus for them.”

This is the latest in a season the Blue Jays have held the division lead since 2016. With Toronto poised to be aggressive over the next two weeks, could the team aim for a big fish on the market, as former GM Alex Anthopoulos did at the 2015 deadline when he added a pair of superstars in starter David Price and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki with a pair of blockbuster trades?

Olney says that the biggest stars on the market could align perfectly with that the Blue Jays could be looking to add.

“The biggest star power on the market might actually be the relievers in Minnesota - Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran. Those might be the difference makers moved before the deadline,” said Olney. 

Duran, 27, has been the Twins' full-time closer for the past three seasons, racking up 65 saves and a 2.64 ERA over 160 innings over that span. Jax, the Twins’ setup man, has a 3.92 ERA in 41.1 innings this season. 

The Detroit Tigers hold an 11.5-game lead in the AL Central and the perception around the league is that three other teams in the division - the Twins, Guardians, and Kansas City Royals - will be sellers at the deadline. The Arizona Diamondbacks are also expected to be sellers over the next two weeks and have several players on both sides of the ball that could help the Blue Jays in their playoff push. 

“The Arizona Diamondbacks have told other teams they're probably going to sell. They're probably going to put Eugenio Suarez on the market, their All-Star third baseman. Josh Naylor, their first baseman and a proven run producer,” said Olney. “Their two starting pitchers Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly will be available. Can you get a guy that's going to be a starting pitcher for you in one of the first three games of the postseason? That can potentially be the front-line guy?  At their best, either one of those guys will fit that category.”

Gallen, a former All-Star and third-place Cy Young finisher, has struggled this season, posting a 5.40 ERA with 110 strikeouts over 115 innings. It is the highest ERA of his career and the first time that he is under one strikeout per inning. However, the 29-year-old has looked better in July pitching to a 3.50 ERA while recording a pair of quality starts. Kelly, 36, has a 3.34 ERA and 1.05 WHIP this season, with 113 strikeouts over 116 innings. 

While both starters fit what the Jays could be looking for, Olney says the club will need to pay up in order to add a premium starter at this year’s deadline. 

“The Blue Jays are definitely going to compete with other teams. The Mets and Yankees are looking for starting pitchers. The Dodgers might be in the marketplace for that depending on what they're saying internally about the recovery of some of their guys,” said Olney. “It would be interesting to see how the Blue Jays would fare in a head-to-head bidding war against some of those teams.”

With 66 games remaining on the schedule, the Blue Jays have the opportunity to head into the playoffs as the division winner for the first time since 2015, and Olney believes that the current landscape in the American League has created the perfect opportunity for the Jays to go all-in. 

“Absolutely wide open. There aren't necessarily any great teams in this division right now but there are good teams,” Olney said. “Each one of these teams has a reasonable path through, not just the division, but through the American League.”