The Jays upgraded their bullpen by adding two relievers from the Miami Marlins: Anthony Bass and Zach Pop. Bass’ name may sound familiar as he played for Toronto in 2020. The 34-year-old righty is coming off his best season. In 45 games he is 2-3 with a 1.41 ERA. He has thrown 44.2 innings and allowed just 32 hits with 10 walks and 45 strikeouts. Surprisingly, it has only been delivered for one house. He hasn’t fared well when pitching in the ninth inning, but he’s proven to be a solid option for the seventh and eighth innings. Pop is 2-0 with a 3.60 ERA with the Marlins. He has appeared in 18 games this year, throwing 20 innings while allowing 23 hits, walking two and striking out 14. The right-hander pounds the strike zone with a power denker and slider. He has allowed just one home run as well. He’ll be a good weapon to bring into the game with runners on base when the Jays need a double play. It is a ball making machine. Bass and pop add to the length and depth of the Jays bullpen. They’ll allow manager John Snyder to shorten the game because they’re two good options to pair with the rest of the lineup. Toronto added another pitcher, Mitchell White, from the Los Angeles Dodgers. White is 27 years old and has pitched in the big leagues the past three seasons. He was primarily a starter but has also served as a long reliever. He reminds me of Ross Stripling when he first came to the Jays from LA. He is a more than serviceable pitcher who protects Toronto’s starting depth and strengthens their bullpen. If Yusei Kikuchi falters in the rotation again, White can get the ball in his place.
Finally, the Jays traded for Whit Merrifield from the Kansas City Royals. Merrifield was a longtime Royal who, in the past, was highly sought after by nearly every team in baseball. Can play second base as well as outfield. He has led the league in hits twice, doubles once, triples once and steals three times. He is a contact hitter with speed. Even though he has a bit of a down time (.240/.290/.352), he is still a hard hitting hitter who can run the bases and put the ball in play. He is a great leader and teammate. I believe the change of scenery will revive him. I like that even though he has played more corner outfield, he can play center and may need to because of George Springer’s sore elbow. Springer may have to take the bats out of the designated hitter position until his elbow heals. Interestingly, Merrifield was one of 10 Royals who could not travel to Toronto in mid-July because he was not vaccinated. At the time, he said he would consider it if he was part of a competitive winning team. The Royals weren’t exactly that. One would have to assume the Jays wouldn’t have traded for him if they had doubts he would get his shot.

Are the Jays still contenders?

The Jays are definitely better because of these four acquisitions. But they feel a little anti-climactic, as they were linked with several more impressive players who ended up moving elsewhere or not at all. Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani ended up not being traded, while superstar shortstop Juan Soto was dealt to San Diego for a huge prospect package that the Jays couldn’t match. Ace pitcher Luis Castillo was traded from the Reds to the Seattle Mariners, while Frankie Montas, Oakland’s No. 1 starter, is now a Yankee. Both would have helped the Blue Jays significantly, but the Mariners and Yankees paid a high price in prospects to acquire them. In some ways, I can understand that the Jays might not have been able to match up. But I’m surprised they couldn’t make a deal for right-hander Tyler Mahle from the Cincinnati Reds, who ended up being traded to Minnesota. Although it’s worth noting that Mahle didn’t make the trip north when the Reds played Toronto in May. Left fielder Jose Quintana resurrected his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates and was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. I thought Cubs closer David Robertson was the perfect target for the Jays, but he ended up being traded to the Phillies. For one reason or another, the Jays passed on several more impressive players than they acquired. Make no doubt about it – the Jays are still built to be a playoff team. They are good enough to hold the first wild card spot, holding off the Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Guardians, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox. But to make the playoffs, the Jays will likely have to get past one or both of the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros. Each team made major upgrades at the deadline to their already superior rosters. So, as it stands, the Yankees and Astros would be my American League Championship matchup. I’m not saying the Jays can’t win the pennant, but they have less room for error if they play New York and Houston. They will have to be near flawless in a series to beat them.

Biggest deadline winners, losers

The winner of the trade deadline overall is the San Diego Padres for acquiring shortstop Josh Hader, future Hall of Famer Juan Soto and first baseman Josh Bell. The Padres gave up a lot, but I also think the Nationals are winners for the traction they brought back. The Phillies traded for starter Noah Syndergaard from the Los Angeles Angels. He’ll help the rotation as long as he doesn’t run out of gas in his first season back from Tommy John surgery. I really liked the addition of Robertson as well to bolster their bullpen. Additionally, they acquired young outfielder Brandon Marsh from the Phillies in a separate trade. The Minnesota Twins upgraded their pitching staff by adding Mahle from the Reds and reliever Michael Fulmer after acquiring Jorge Lopez from Baltimore. Losers at the deadline are the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians. They’ve been able to keep up with the Minnesota Twins so far, but I expect that to change. Their passivity will cost the team a shot at a division title. The Texas Rangers are also in the loser category. They could have traded for reigning champion Martin Perez, who is having a terrific year. Additionally, Matt Moore has been effective as a lefty reliever. Neither was traded from a team going nowhere at 46-56. This is a missed opportunity to stock up on prospects. They could have traded the pitchers and then tried to re-sign them in the offseason. The Chicago Cubs were able to trade Robertson to the Phillies, but at the end of the day, they didn’t trade catcher Willson Contreras or outfielder Ian Happ. It is not clear why. The asking price was known to be high, but at some point, make the best deal you can and get something in return. They may have asked for so much that the clubs went in different directions. So after the emotional tearful goodbye, both Happ and Contreras will finish the season in Cubs uniforms. Again, a lost opener for the rebuilding Cubs. Finally, the only team that didn’t make a single trade at the deadline was the Colorado Rockies (46-59). No additions and subtractions. They re-signed reliever Daniel Bard but failed to move Jose Iglesias or reliever Alex Colome. Last year, they didn’t trade pending free agents Trevor Story or Jon Gray. It was another missed opportunity as both signed elsewhere and the Rockies had nothing but a draft pick for Story. Where is the creativity? The trade deadline is a time for general managers to compete. And they did absolutely nothing.