The Toronto Blue Jays are one of the hottest teams in Major League Baseball. They’ve won 16 of their last 19 contests, and now hold a 6.5-game lead in the American League East. Their 63-42 record is good for best in baseball, and they are now poised to make a run in October. With the trade deadline just four days away, the Blue Jays have a chance to add to their already impressive roster and pitching staff by making a blockbuster deal with the Minnesota Twins.
The Twins are expected to be sellers and will sell off some of their highly-touted players if they are given strong offers. The Blue Jays don’t need much, but every team that goes deep into the playoffs has to have a deep bullpen.
Jhoan Durán Could Be on the Move
Jhoan Durán has reportedly been made available by the Minnesota Twins, but the offer would have to be large, considering he is controllable by Minnesota until 2027. Durán is putting together another great season. He has a 1.90 ERA in 47.1 innings, and has also recorded 52 strikeouts and has only surrendered one home run all season.
Steve Adams of MLBtraderumors.com gives great analysis on just how good Durán has been:
“Since making his debut with the Twins in 2022, Duran has ranked among the gameâs elite relievers. The 27-year-old sits north of 100 mph with his fastball and pairs it with an upper-90s sinker/splitter hybrid (âsplinkerâ) that misses bats and piles up grounders. In 230 2/3 big league innings, Duran boasts a 2.46 ERA, 30.8% strikeout rate, 7.6% walk rate, 63.7% ground-ball rate and just 0.66 homers per nine innings pitched. Heâs sitting on a 1.94 ERA in 46 1/3 frames this season and has 15 saves and a hold in 18 save opportunities this year.”
If the Toronto Blue Jays make the right offer, adding an arm like Durán would cement the backend of their bullpen. Toronto signed Jeff Hoffman this offseason to be the closer, but his ERA is over 4.70, and he has blown a handful of saves. Overall, the Blue Jays have a solid bullpen, but again, if they plan to go all-in for this season, the addition of Durán would put them over the top. They are now large favorites to win the AL East, but with as good a season as they are having, their eyes are likely set on the Fall Classic.
What Would Durán Cost Toronto?
Well, this is what will likely determine if Durán gets dealt or not. It would likely cost the Toronto Blue Jays at least one top-five prospect, and left-hander Johnny King could be a good option. That certainly wouldn’t be it either; Toronto would also likely have to add in a guy like catcher Tyler Heineman. Even Heineman might not be enough, but the Blue Jays could add another prospect or two.
Regardless, it would cost Toronto a lot of capital to get a deal done like this, but if they’re serious about their World Series hopes, it could happen.
With just four days between now and the July 31st deadline, expect the Blue Jays to make a deal to round out their roster before the final two-month stretch.
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