By Mike Rifkin
We’ve entered the dog days of summer and that means playoff races across Major League Baseball are getting more intense. The addition of the third wild card in both leagues have made more teams feel like they’re still in the race. The Toronto Blue Jays have dropped six in a row and are 2-8 over their last 10 games. This recent stretch has put the Blue Jays 6.5 games back of that final wild card spot. Let me put this in a different context the three teams below the Blue Jays in the standings are the Angels, Athletics, and White Sox. Now that’s an indictment of the Blue Jays more than anything.
With the trade deadline looming this next 11 game stretch for the Blue Jays is absolutely massive. The Blue Jays will visit Fenway to play the Red Sox for a three game series. Last week the Red Sox swept the Blue Jays in Toronto, outscoring the Jays 18-6 over the three games. After the trip to Fenway, the Blue Jays return home for eight games, four with the Yankees and four with the Houston Astros. The Yankees currently own the best record in all of baseball and the Astros are one of the hottest teams in baseball winning five in a row and are 7-3 over their last 10 games.
So why are the Blue Jays underachieving? The Blue Jays offense is down. They’re averaging 3.84 runs per game this season, down from the 4.55 they averaged last year. The three teams that average less runs per game are the Athletics, Marlins and White Sox. The Blue Jays are 23rd in batting average with .232, .310 on base percentage, and a .368 slugging percentage. The Blue Jays slash line last season was .256/.329/.417. The Blue Jays are tied for 27th with 67 homers, last season they hit 188 homers as a team. So, why has the Blue Jays offense struggled, well they’re top guys haven’t come through. George Springer is hitting under .200 with five homers, Bo Bichette ( currently on the IL) has four homers with a slash line of .237/.286/.342. They have two players hitting over .270 (minimum 230 At bats) in their lineup. Springer’s decline is something to monitor, his on base percentage has dropped a few points each of the last couple of seasons, but if they’re going to get in this they need him to get hot. The Blue Jays starting pitching has been solid as they are tied for seventh with 32 quality starts. As a team the Blue Jays have a 4.18 ERA, which is middle of the pack in MLB.
Ok, so let’s say over this 11 game stretch the Blue Jays go 3-8 or 4-7 that might push them into sell territory. What can the Blue Jays offer some teams? Let’s start in that rotation that has been solid for them this season. Chris Bassitt is 6-6 with a 3.52 ERA and has one year left on his contract at 22 million dollars. Yusei Kikuchi is 4-7 with a 4.00 ERA and is a free agent after the season. Justin Turner is a free agent after the season and is hitting .242 with five homers and 22 RBI on the season. So a team looking for a DH could have interest. Yimi Garcia is 0-3 with a 2.57 ERA and does have five saves on the season.
Now comes the ultimate question : If you’re the Blue Jays would you trade either Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Bo Bichette? Both are under contract for one more season after this. Neither one has really entered their prime yet, so would you keep both or move one. Now I love both players, but I think I’d build around Vlad. The biggest reason is he plays everyday, Bichette has had some injuries come into play. I don’t think you can keep both just based on lack of success. But whichever one they keep, they should get a nice package for the other whether it be at the trade deadline or over the winter. Either way there’s pressure mounting in Toronto.
The Sports Insanity Network 