Matching every Toronto Blue Jays trade asset to a contending team
Another day, another disheartening loss for the Toronto Blue Jays in which the offense is nowhere to be found. The Jays managed just one run and four hits against Hunter Brown and three Astros relievers and fell to 38-46 on the year. They're 15.0 games behind the first-place Baltimore Orioles in the AL East and are 8.0 games back of the third Wild Card spot in the AL.
Their season isn't officially over, but their path to getting to the postseason is very hard to envision even for the most optimistic Jays fans. FanGraphs gives them a 3.4 percent chance to make the postseason. It's been that bad.
Selling at the trade deadline feels inevitable at this point. While USA Today's Bob Nightengale says that it's probably unlikely that Toronto ends up moving Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, he does list five players who are going to be placed on the trade block. Here's where these five players should go.
5) Kevin Kiermaier should be traded to the Padres
Finding a fit for Kevin Kiermaier is not easy. Kiermaier had a great all-around season in 2023 for the Jays but has taken a major step back this season, slashing .190/.233/.281 with just two home runs and 12 RBI in 63 games played. Kiermaier's defense is still elite, but his bat has made him unstartable for a good team.
With that being said, the San Diego Padres can look to acquire him as a short-term solution and revert him to a fourth outfielder role when Fernando Tatis Jr. comes back from his injury. As of now, San Diego has Bryce Johnson playing every day in right field. Johnson doesn't have much of an MLB track record at all.
Tatis' injury has exposed San Diego's lack of outfield depth. Kiermaier can at the very least give them Gold Glove defense and perhaps with a change of scenery, can give them something offensively. It certainly couldn't hurt.
4) Yimi Garcia should be traded to the Mets
Bullpen help is a need that virtually every MLB team has. It's so hard to field a group of eight reliable and healthy relievers for managers to turn to. It's hard to imagine there's a team contending for a postseason spot in more of a need for bullpen help than the New York Mets.
The Mets have battled their way back to .500 and are just 1.5 games back of a postseason spot but they nearly blew another winnable game on Monday, turning to Tyler Jay and eventually Reed Garrett in extra innings. They'll get reinforcements with Sean Reid-Foley nearing his return from the IL and Edwin Diaz almost done with his suspension, but they need more than that.
Both Brooks Raley and Drew Smith are done for the year. Adam Ottavino has had a rough go of it after a strong start. Diaz has been inconsistent at best when he's been on the field. Garcia is the kind of reliable reliever that the Mets need who won't break the bank prospect-wise since he's on an expiring contract.
3) Justin Turner should be traded to the Astros
The Houston Astros have a glaring need at first base. Jose Abreu was supposed to be the answer, but he struggled so mightily to the point where he was DFA'd and the Astros might even be paying him to play against them one day.
Jon Singleton has done an admirable job filling in at first base, but he's far from an everyday player. Mauricio Dubon has been playing first base against left-handed pitchers. He's better off playing at several different positions. Adding a first baseman is crucial for this Astros team to make a run, and with limited options, Justin Turner can make sense.
Turner's .248/.354/.274 slash line with just five home runs on the year is far from impressive, but he fits in Houston for a couple of reasons. First, he's hitting .310 with an .852 OPS against lefties, making him an ideal platoon partner with Singleton. Second, he's slashing .315/.451/.425 since June 1, bouncing back nicely following his brutal May.
The 39-year-old has been streaky, but he'd add necessary depth at first base for an Astros team trying to get back to the postseason.
2) Danny Jansen should be traded to the Guardians
Danny Jansen was one of the few bright spots in this Jays offense this season, but even he has struggled of late. Even with his struggles, he has a 104 OPS+ which for a catcher is very solid.
The Cleveland Guardians haven't gotten much offense from their catchers. Bo Naylor has just a .609 OPS and a 74 OPS+. Austin Hedges has always been a major offensive liability. David Fry has hit well and can catch in spurts, but he's not an everyday catcher.
Adding a player like Jansen wouldn't cost a ton given he's yet another expiring contract, and can lengthen Cleveland's lineup exponentially by replacing the duo of Naylor and Hedges on most nights. The Guardians need to do something to try and win in October, and upgrading the catcher position is a good place for them to start.
1) Yusei Kikuchi should be traded to the Brewers
The saving grace for this Jays team (if there is one) is their starting rotation, and even that has underwhelmed. With that being said, though, Yusei Kikuchi has done a nice job stepping up for the most part.
Yes, his 4.18 ERA is a bit higher than you'd like, but he had a 3.25 ERA before a rough month of June. Kikuchi has still gone five innings or more in 12 of his 17 starts, which would be welcome for a team in need of length like the Milwaukee Brewers.
The rotation was expected to be a weakness with Corbin Burnes traded and Brandon Woodruff out for the season, but they rank 29th in the majors in innings from their starters. That's unacceptable, and puts a massive strain on the bullpen. Granted, Milwaukee's bullpen has been stellar, but if it is overworked, it can easily regress.
The Brewers aren't a team that's ever interested in making massive all-in moves, so Kikuchi makes sense in that regard. He's an expiring contract meaning he wouldn't cost a ton of prospect capital, and he could be a guy they look to extend too if he pitches well. He's not an ace, but he'd make this team much better than it is.
This article was originally published on fansided.com as Matching every Toronto Blue Jays trade asset to a contending team.