Welcome to Trade Deadline frenzy. It’s the time when winning teams go all-in, losing teams load up for next season and blue check marks matter. The Blue Jays are buyers, plain and simple. Beyond the obvious opportunity in 2022, the Blue Jays have a multi-year window thanks to the overlap between their young core and their recent big-name additions. This opportunity is rare, so now is the time for the Blue Jays to make a bold move. Pitching remains the Blue Jays’ biggest need, starting with back arms and possibly a depth starter to bolster the back end of the rotation. There’s also room to diversify the position player pool, which could come in the form of bench depth, but a club with financial flexibility, a strong enough farm system and incentive to move could go either way. Here are five questions facing the Blue Jays before the deadline on Tuesday, August 2: When will the magic happen? Last season, the Blue Jays overcame their struggles, with Adam Cimber and Trevor Richards a month early. That obviously isn’t the case this summer. GM Ross Atkins says: “Every year, it seems like with a week to go, the prices are really high. Things tend to work towards Deadline. There seems to be a better understanding on both sides of where those thresholds are, where people will make a decision. Right now, to move quickly, you’re probably going to pay a premium.” Is there a way to improve the composition? Entering play Thursday, the Blue Jays ranked third in MLB in runs scored (479) and OPS (.772). A starter is unlikely to be added, but there is room to give John Schneider a few more bench options. Says Atkins: “Our offense has performed really well for most of the year. We got off to a slow start, but we’re in a good place right now. When you look at the points race side and how we can improve that, there are ways to do that, but it’s getting harder and harder. Making incremental improvements even to our roster of players is not the easiest thing.” Where does the rotation rank among the Blue Jays’ priorities? It’s up there, but with Alek Manoah and Kevin Gausman rolling, plus the club’s faith in José Berríos returning to his old form, there’s no sense of panic. Atkins says: “We always have to think of ways to provide depth. Could it be at the Major League level or Triple-A? Obviously, we’re always thinking about how we can do that internally. I feel like we’re in a good starting point on that front, but that doesn’t mean we’re not open to getting a starter.” What will the Blue Jays be targeting with their bullpen? The Blue Jays have long seemed to lack the 100-mph arms you see in other bullpens, but Atkins is quick to point out that hitters have adjusted to the velocity. Atkins says, “It’s not just power. Swing and miss is definitely effective. I think that would be the one area where if we could add more swing and miss it would be a positive. Right-handed or left-handed will really depend on other things we do.” How do internal bullpen prospects factor into these plans? Yosver Zulueta, Nate Pearson, Julian Merryweather, Adrian Hernandez and others could be part of the solution, of course, but the Blue Jays are looking forward and hoping one of them is the savior. Atkins says, “There are some other guys in our system that we’re thinking about as possible options. I’d rather not name them and increase the pressure on some people, but we feel really good about some depth options that we have throughout our system. We’re thinking about how we can support them, how we can get them in the best possible position to give us depth.”
