The Toronto Blue Jays are in one of the toughest positions in Major League Baseball heading into the middle of June. With a 37-30 record and only four games behind the first-place New York Yankees, the Blue Jays have played very well in recent weeks, going 8-2 over their last 10.Â
After giving Vladimir Guerrero Jr. a massive $500 million extension, the Blue Jays could look at the trade deadline as a chance to get better. However, when they struggled to start the season, many suggested that they could sell.Â
Despite that, Jim Bowden of The Athletic doesn’t expect that to be the case.Â
He proposed a trade idea for the Blue Jays to land Merrill Kelly, adding that he’s one of the most underrated starters and would be a great fit in Toronto’s rotation.Â
“Kelly has been one of the most underrated, consistent starting pitchers in baseball since 2022, when he went 13-8 with a 3.37 ERA over 33 starts. In 2023, he went 12-8 with a 3.29 ERA. Last year, he battled injuries but still posted a 4.03 ERA over 13 starts.Â
“This year, heâs 6-2 with a 3.18 ERA over 14 starts and heâs been healthy aside from some leg issues. He will be a free agent after this season, so it would be a rental for the Blue Jays. If the Diamondbacks decide to sell, they could acquire a couple of mid-level prospects in exchange and then in the offseason look to re-sign Kelly, who prefers to finish his career with Arizona,â he wrote.
What Are the Blue Jays’ Plans at the Trade Deadline?
Just last week, Jeff Passan of ESPN noted that the Toronto Blue Jays could be sellers at the deadline. While he added that they might decide to hold, it still shows that the Blue Jays are potentially in a position where they could look to sell.Â
If that’s the case, trading for somebody like Kelly wouldn’t make much sense.Â
âThe Blue Jays could simply wind up in the hold category. They didn’t give Vladimir Guerrero Jr. a $500 million contract extension to dump players at the deadline. But if they do pivot toward unloading, they’re teeming with players who could bring back the sort of talent suited to surround Guerrero in the next incarnation of his career,â he wrote.
Kellyâs Fit With the Blue Jays
In the event that the Toronto Blue Jays look to sell, trading for Kelly wouldn’t be the best idea. While he’s a decent arm, posting a 3.18 ERA this season, heâs set to hit the free agency market at the end of the campaign.
The Toronto Blue Jays may believe that Kelly would be a decent player to have on the roster after this season, but there’s no reason to trade assets in a deal for him.Â
But Kelly and others won’t be the only question the Blue Jays have to face at the deadline.Â
Some believe that they have to make a decision on Bo Bichette, including Bradford Doolittle of ESPN. If they look to buy, it almost feels safe to say that Bichette should still be on the roster.Â
“The Jays have the look of a fence-straddler around the deadline, adding on the margins while trying to balance near- and long-term objectives. Bichette has been better than last season, but he hasn’t played so well that Toronto’s postseason hopes would be torpedoed by sending him away in advance of his looming free agency, preferably for pitching help,” Doolittle wrote.
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