The Blue Jays Cap off the Trade Deadline with a Flurry of Moves

If you were expecting it to be a quiet trade deadline around MLB yesterday, you were sorely mistaken. In total, 18 deadline day transactions took place, and the Toronto Blue Jays accounted for three of those trades as the Jays were very active at the trade deadline.

Overall, the Blue Jays acquired Francisco Liriano from the Pittsburgh Pirates, Scott Feldman from the Houston Astros and Mike Bolsinger from the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the process, the Blue Jays parted ways with Drew Hutchison, Jesse Chavez and prospect Guadalupe Chavez.

In essence, the Blue Jays acquired another starting pitcher in Liriano, a swing reliever (with the capability to start or pitch out of the bullpen) in Feldman, and a starting rotation depth piece in the form of Bolsinger.

By no means were the Toronto Blue Jays the “big winners” of the trade deadline (that title likely goes to the Texas Rangers or the San Francisco Giants), but the Blue Jays addressed nearly all of the holes on their roster.

The Blue Jays beefed up the starting rotation, they acquired some much-needed relief help, and they even picked up a few highly-coveted prospects in the process.

Liriano Somewhat of an Enigma

The move which caught most people off-guard was the acquisition of Francisco Liriano from the Pittsburgh Pirates. It’s a safe move for the Blue Jays, as it was essentially a salary dump on the part of the Pirates.

With Francisco Liriano, the Blue Jays are receiving an enigmatic player. Liriano rekindled his career in Pittsburgh, but his 2016 season has been confusing and frustrating to say the least. He led the National League in walks, and Liriano’s ERA is over two runs higher than last year.

Perhaps the Blue Jays feel like they can recapture some of that magic by hooking Francisco Liriano back up with Russell Martin; the catcher who was partially credited with turning Liriano’s career around.

Even if Liriano doesn’t rediscover that magic in Toronto, he’s a suitable back-of-the-rotation solution for the Blue Jays as they ease Aaron Sanchez out of the rotation and into the bullpen. The Sanchez situation is a whole new topic unto itself, but the Blue Jays finally have a replacement for Sanchez and can be forthright about their plan to move him into relief.

Feldman Helps Fix the Bullpen

Speaking of the bullpen, Scott Feldman takes over for Jesse Chavez as the low-leverage/swing reliever for the Blue Jays. Although they were separate transactions, in essence the Blue Jays swapped Jesse Chavez for Scott Feldman; thereby upgrading the bullpen.

Feldman is an intriguing piece for the Blue Jays and could provide some much-needed stability to the relief core.

Mike Bolsinger is essentially a throw-in from the Los Angeles Dodgers, as the Blue Jays and Dodgers basically traded scraps by swapping Chavez for Bolsinger.

Final Thoughts on the Blue Jays’ Moves

The 2016 trade deadline may not have been as “sexy” as the deals the club pulled off last season (David Price, Troy Tulowitzki, Ben Revere, Mark Lowe and LaTroy Hawkins), but the Blue Jays picked up nearly all the necessary pieces they need to bolster the roster.

Most of the trades the Blue Jays made were value moves; they didn’t take on any big-money contracts, which should prevent them from spending money this offseason. With Francisco Liriano and Melvin Upton Jr, the Blue Jays also get a bit of outfield and starting rotation insurance, since they’re under team control through 2017.

Save for a reliable left-handed reliever, the Blue Jays crossed all the items off their to-do list; and they didn’t give up much in the way of players or prospects to do it.

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