Jays' roster needs loom large as Sho-time hits Toronto ahead of trade deadline

Major League Baseball’s trade deadline is Tuesday and we have started to see some movement with several relievers and a couple of starters changing teams.

The Blue Jays added left-handed reliever Genesis Cabrera to their bullpen in a deal with the St Louis Cardinals.  I have always liked Cabrera’s arm but he has never thrown enough strikes to be fully effective.  He walks too many batters.  So far, with the Jays, he has thrown three innings and has yet to walk anyone.  But it is something to keep an eye on. 

Toronto also swapped pitcher Trent Thornton for Mariners infielder mason McCoy.  McCoy was playing at Class AAA Tacoma for Seattle was assigned to Buffalo for the Jays. This move was an effort to build depth and protection at the minor league level where it didn’t exist in the organization.  Remember, players on the 40-man roster can’t be traded after the trade deadline.  Clubs need to protect against the worst case scenario now to avoid catastrophe later. 

But the Jays have more needs to address before the deadline.

The bullpen has been running on fumes lately. Because they play so many close games, the high-leverage relievers are called upon regularly. Eric Swanson, Yimi Garcia and Tim Mayza have shown signs of overuse, as the three of them rank in the top 12 in relief appearances.

The Cabrera acquisition should help Mayza’s workload. Trevor Richards has done a nice job in a more important role as has Jay Jackson.  But Toronto could use one more high-leverage reliever. This would also help Jays manager John Schneider with the flexibility to give closer Jordan Romano a break by using Swanson or Mayza or a new reliever in the ninth inning on occasions.  Kenyan Middleton and Joe Kelly of the Chicago White Sox would satisfy the Jays’ needs in the pen.  David Robertson, who was traded from the New York Mets to the Miami Marlins on Thursday, would have been be a great addition.

I understand the return of Hyun-Jin Ryu offers some comfort about the starting pitching depth, but my experience is that players returning from Tommy John surgery are unpredictable for the first few months.  And Alek Manoah is still not out of hot water yet, either.  I would look to add a swing-man who can be a starter or long reliever.  Paul Blackburn of the Oakland Athletics and Trevor Williams of the Washington Nationals are a couple of names to consider. 

At the plate, the Jays could also use a right-handed bat with power that could platoon with Daulton Varsho and/or Brandon Belt on occasion.

All Star outfielder Brent Rooker of the Oakland A’s would be a fit as would Mets outfielders Tommy Pham and Mark Canha. Former Blue Jay Randall Grichuk would be a nice addition as he can play any of the three outfield positions. Cardinals outfielder Tyler O’Neill, who is from Maple Ridge British Columbia, would be an intriguing trade target. He is a big power bat who can run and defend, and is under contractual control through 2024.

The Cardinals have outfield depth, but they will want young pitching in return which may not be the best match for the Jays.

WHY THE ANGELS ARE ALL IN

The Los Angeles Angels took their superstar Shohei Ohtani off the trading block on Wednesday. And to back that decision, up they pulled the trigger on a trade with the Chicago White Sox acquiring starting pitcher Lucas Giolito and reliever Reynoldo Lopez.

And to celebrate, Ohtani went nuts in the doubleheader on Thursday against the Detroit Tigers. He tossed a one hit shutout in the first game of the doubleheader and then homered twice (36, 37) in the second game of the Angels sweep.

Ohtani is continuing a season that beyond anything we have ever seen.  He is one of the best pitchers in the game as evidenced by his performance on Thursday, and he has a chance at breaking Aaron Judge’s American League single-season home run record (62 home runs) set just last year.

That said, I still believe this decision to not trade Ohtani is baseball malpractice.  Starting play on Thursday, the Angels had an eight per cent chance of making the playoffs.  There are three division leaders and five clubs ahead of them in the Wild Card race.  They have not had any luck in signing their two-way star.

And sources have indicated that there are three things that will be important to Shohei this winter: 1) geography (preference of playing the West Coast), 2) chance of winning a World Series, 3) the money.  The Angels will not likely offer more money than the Dodgers, Padres, Giants, Mariners, Mets or Rangers. And there are ten teams which will be interested him and have a better chance of winning than the Angels.  He isn’t going to re-sign with the Angels.

If the Angels couldn’t win with Ohtani earning $30 million, how will they win if he is making $50-$60 million a year? He will be getting the money that might have gone to other players that could fill out a roster. And he’ll be playing with Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon and a bunch of rookies if he stays with the Angels. 

Angels owner Arte Moreno wondered aloud about all of the trade rumors suggesting that Ohtani was worth $20 million to the Angels over the last two months of the season with 29 home games remaining. And that statement tells me why they are not trading Ohtani.

Moreno had put the club up for sale in 2022. He pulled it off the market in the off-season, likely because he didn’t get the offers he was hoping.  But Moreno is not in this for the long-term.  It is a matter of time before he puts the club up for sale again. 

Now it all makes sense to me. Owners have the right to do whatever they want and make whatever decisions that benefit them. Moreno wants the extra revenues that Ohtani will bring in over the next couple of months more than he wants prospects that would help the team down the road in building a winner, because he won’t be owning the team when the prospects are ready to help at the major league level. It’s his company, so he can do what he wants.

But from a baseball perspective it is malpractice. In this world of baseball analytics, this one is obvious. With only an eight per cent chance of making the playoffs, a trade for impact prospects is by far the right call. 

SHO-TIME IN TORONTO

Tonight, the Jays host the Los Angeles Ohtanis. He really is a one-man band and it should be a fun weekend.  The good news for the Jays is that won’t have to face Ohtani the pitcher.  This will start a run for the Angels in which they play 18 of the next 22 games against teams that would be in the playoffs, if the season were to end today.

The four games that aren’t against a playoff club are against the Seattle Mariners, who are getting hot and are just a game and a half behind them in the standings.

Ohtani is remarkable. There will be plenty pf clubs who will want his services next season.  Not many will be able to afford him. The Angels will hold him for a couple more months and try to defy the odds.  I don’t think they can make the playoffs, but I also didn’t think he could do what he is doing.  Whatever the outcome, we are watching history as he is delivering the greatest season any baseball player has ever produced.