TORONTO – Daniel Norris is suddenly top of mind again for the Toronto Blue Jays and the promising left-hander who opened the season in the big-leagues may very well soon find himself back up there.
Alex Anthopoulos planned to attend the 22-year-old’s start for triple-A Buffalo against visiting Gwinnett on Wednesday night after dispatching assistants Dana Brown and Andrew Tinnish to see his previous two outings, noting that “it’s a big start for him in the sense that three in a row, you’re really starting to throw well, you’re putting yourself right back in the mix.”
The general manager added that the Blue Jays are considering using a spot starter during their current stretch of 17 straight games leading into the all-star break, and inserting Norris in July 8 against the Chicago White Sox makes plenty of sense.
Already in line to face the White Sox, who are last in the majors with an OPS of .572 against southpaws, are Mark Buehrle and rookie Matt Boyd. Using Norris behind them would make it a third lefty in the series, and give Drew Hutchison an extra day of rest, something the Blue Jays like doing when they can.
At that point, the Blue Jays can settle on a course of action for both Boyd and Norris, each of whom could be important as big-league ready trade chips ahead of the deadline, with Aaron Sanchez likely nearing a return and fourth and fifth starters not needed until July 21 after the all-star break.
Sanchez felt good during his first side session since sustaining a lat injury June 5 on Wednesday morning.
Anthopoulos was non-committal about everything during his 25-minute chat with media Wednesday morning in manager John Gibbons’ office, but a good Norris outing for Buffalo could set the wheels in motion.
“One, I’m not guaranteeing that we’re going to have a spot starter and, two, it may not be him,” said Anthopoulos. “Ideally for him, we don’t necessarily want him to be on the yo-yo up and down but we’re trying to win games. If we feel he gives us the best chance to win games, we won’t be afraid to do that. … I don’t know. Normally a spot start is just a spot start, especially before the break.”
True, but nothing right now is happening without the bigger picture in mind.
Miguel Castro, pitching at single-A Dunedin after recovering from a thumb issue, is due for a promotion soon to either double-A New Hampshire or triple-A Buffalo and Anthopoulos is hoping to get a read soon on what the lightning-armed righty might contribute before adding to his bullpen.
Anthopoulos said “it would a huge add for us to get him back,” and added that “you’d love to solve your problems internally if you can.”
“That allows us to allocate some of our trade assets to the starters market, it allows us to allocate our dollars to the starters market, so the more answers we have internally the better off we are,” he continued, “but now we only have a month left.”
The re-emergence of Castro and perhaps a role switch for Sanchez would allow Anthopoulos to lock in fully on strengthening a rotation that usually gives the offence a chance to win but could use someone to lock down a game more regularly.
Pointing to the club’s starter’s ERA of 4.42, tied with the Yankees for 13th in the American League, Anthopoulos said, “I think clearly the rotation is the area that has the most need. Not that the bullpen can’t use some work, but I think the bullpen is starting to settle in a little bit.”
The challenge, of course, is in acquiring a starter without paying an exorbitant fee in prospect capital, particularly for a rental pitcher. The market in general is still developing as teams settle on whether they’re in or out ahead of the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, but competition is expected to be fierce for the handful of starters that shake loose.
“We’re always interested in taking on a rental, it always comes down to the rental component impacts what you’re willing to pay,” explained Anthopoulos. “That’s the hardest part, managing the short term and the long term. You want to be in a position where you have to make a tough decision but it is tough, it’s much easier to swallow giving up a young player when you know you can keep the guy you’re getting.
“Especially now that there’s no draft pick compensation for guys traded in the middle of the season, you’re literally going to have a guy walk away at the end of the year. You’re giving up X for two months and you’re spending money on salary, but you want to be in that position that you can add a piece.”
In explaining the dilemma that entails, Anthopoulos relayed some of the thinking he went through last year when considering a trade for a rental player he wouldn’t name, but which may have been third baseman Chase Headley.
“We had to give up (Kevin) Pillar and (Sean) Nolin, and the rental wasn’t probably going to fit for us, there were some concerns, things like that,” said Anthopoulos. “I can say that now that it’s in the past, and we know Colby (Rasmus) was going to be a free agent, we needed centre-field depth going forward. You’re trying to weigh the short and the long-term. We knew Nolin had a lot of industry value, as well, and Nolin was a key part of the (Josh) Donaldson deal. Pillar is an important part of our team right now. We needed those guys.”
Without a doubt but there’s a present-day value that matters, too, and winning can be costly. This may be the time for the Blue Jays to swallow hard and pay a price they don’t necessarily feel good about.
Anthopoulos, without going into specifics, mentioned he thought he was close to a couple of deals in May that ended up falling apart, one of them he thought he was 90 per cent there for a position player, and it’s important to remember that it takes two teams to make a deal.
Right now there aren’t many willing partners.
To that end, the Blue Jays must look to their internal options for now, and Norris may be their best chance at a Marcus Stroman-like shot in the arm. At Buffalo he’s focused on prioritizing his four-seam fastball and overpowering hitters rather than relying on his two-seamer for ground balls and trying to paint the corners, and he’s primed for a return.
“When he’s right, he’s striking out over a guy an inning, down there at least,” said Anthopoulos. “He’ll have his walks, but it’s more control than command. He’ll throw it in the box but he’s not necessarily hitting the glove, and he just needs to throw it in the zone and let his stuff play. He’s got some deception. The secondary stuff looks good as well. That’s why I’m curious to see him.”
The intrigue lies in what he finds and the conclusions he draws.