LOS ANGELES — Long before the Toronto Blue Jays arrived at Dodger Stadium, their trade needs were clear.
They could use pitching, especially in the bullpen, and they’re looking for ways to add bats, too. GM Ross Atkins conveyed as much last week when he said “we need to make this team better in any possible way,” and executives around the league see the Blue Jays similarly.
While Monday’s 6-3 win in 11 innings doesn’t exactly eliminate this team’s medium-term needs, it does allow the Blue Jays to tighten their grip over the third and final American League wild-card spot and improve to 56-45.
For much of the game, it looked like the Blue Jays were in for another frustrating night. Amidst chants of “cheater” from the crowd of 47,731, leadoff hitter George Springer went hitless in six at-bats. A two-on, none-out rally turned to nothing in the sixth when Daulton Varsho struck out and Alejandro Kirk grounded into a double play.
“Sometimes we get tired more mentally than physically, but that's how it is in this sport,” said Jose Berrios after giving the Blue Jays five innings on a night he didn’t have his best command. “That's why we love baseball.”
The Blue Jays’ fortunes turned when Matt Chapman sent a 99 m.p.h. sinker from Brusdar Graterol over the right field wall for an opposite-field home run with two out in the top of the eighth. But in the bottom of the inning, Max Muncy responded with a home run off of a Trevor Richards change-up to tie the game 3-3.
The game stayed tied until the 11th thanks to Jay Jackson, who gave the Blue Jays two scoreless innings on a night Tim Mayza and Erik Swanson were unavailable, but the Blue Jays finally got their bats going against a player who once appeared to be a part of their future.
Phil Bickford, who declined to sign with Toronto after being selected 10th overall in the 2013 draft, loaded the bases in the 11th before allowing the game’s pivotal hit, a Varsho double to right that scored two.
"To get the job done and keep it going is a great feeling," Varsho said afterwards. "It's been a tough month for me, but you've got to keep grinding and help this team win any way possible."
Considering Varsho’s struggles at the plate this month, the base hit was well-timed for both team and player.
“Huge spot for him,” said manager John Schneider said. “Big knock in a big spot. Hopefully that does wonders for him. But it's not for lack of work or effort. I'm just happy for him.”
Regardless of how Monday’s game played out, it’s worth zooming out beyond the Blue Jays to better understand the trade market with one week remaining before the Aug. 1 trade deadline.
Let’s start with the question of who’s available. While platoon bats or back-of-the-rotation arms could be had, the executives I heard from see a lack of star-calibre players. Simply put, there aren’t that many impact bats or pitchers you’d comfortably ask to start a playoff game.
On the offensive side, there’s Cody Bellinger, who the Blue Jays pursued in free agency this past winter. A left-handed hitter, he’s been crushing left-handed pitching this year, but the price will be high even if he’s on the brink of hitting the open market once again. Plus, some believe he’ll end up staying put with the Chicago Cubs.
Beyond that, role players like Tommy Pham, Jurickson Profar and Ramón Laureano will surely be available, but the ceiling is admittedly lower there and questions linger around each player (one scout described Pham as a DH; Profar’s OPS is just .699; Laureano’s not yet all the way back from the injured list).
On the pitching side, the trade market features Bellinger’s teammate, Marcus Stroman, plus Lucas Giolito and Lance Lynn of the White Sox. Add in Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty of the Cardinals and Michael Lorenzen of the Tigers, but how many of those pitchers offer real impact?
They’ll still be in demand, though. As one exec remarked, “even the teams that have pitching want more pitching.”
(As fun as the Shohei Ohtani rumours are, why would the playoff-starved Angels voluntarily part ways with a generational talent while they’re still above .500? Perhaps a tough week through Detroit and — oh, look — Toronto, would force the Angels to change their stance.)
It doesn’t help that sellers like the Tigers, Royals and Rockies don’t have much pitching to offer. Further reinforcements may arrive, though. Some teams are still telling their rivals they need time as of Monday, but executives believe more teams will emerge as sellers in the week ahead.
If so, buyers will have a little more selection, allowing them to make the upgrades they seek. Because even winning teams need help with the World Series still three months from now and no further chances to add. There’s just too much baseball left to take anything for granted, which explains why teams like the Blue Jays are motivated to add, even in a slow-moving market.
Around the industry, there’s an expectation the Blue Jays will be active. One executive predicted the Blue Jays add a bat and a reliever while another said their core is good enough to warrant even bigger adds.
Whether that’s possible in this market is another question, though there’s no reason not to try. And in the meantime, beating teams like the Dodgers is a good place to start.
"It seems like these guys are tested mentally every night," Schneider said. "Hopefully that makes us a little bit more battle-tested down the road."
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