Story by
Blue Jays trade idea would bring in All-Star to get back on top of AL East after disappointing season
- Story by
- Blue Jays trade idea would bring in All-Star to get back on top of AL East after disappointing season
Blue Jays trade idea would bring in All-Star to get back on top of AL East after disappointing season originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Toronto Blue Jays enter Major League Baseball's offseason with needs on both sides of the ball, though it's fair to say their biggest priority next season is a fully healthy year and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. playing at the level everyone expects. They also have other needs, especially in starting pitching.
Advertisement
The Blue Jays are in a position to land a very good starter this offseason, whether through a trade or the free-agent market. The Blue Jays have a good enough farm system and have proven throughout the past decade or so that they're willing to spend with the best of them in Major League Baseball.
Among the potential options for the Blue Jays to pursue, a guy like Joe Ryan instantly comes to mind. Reports have indicated over the past two seasons now that Ryan could be had for the right price by the Minnesota Twins . It was recently floated as an option, and it could put Toronto in a different ballpark than it was a year ago when it struggled at that level.
"The Twins have flirted with trading Ryan — a control-and-command right-hander with a deep arsenal and tricky vertical approach angle — for several seasons now, never finding the right return. But the pressure's on this winter with Ryan only a season away from free agency and the Twins indicating they'll aim to refresh their major-league roster for future seasons rather than enter a prolonged rebuild.
"That opens the door for a trade involving big-leaguers on each side, one the Blue Jays could construct around any number of controllable position players such as Ernie Clement, Josh Smith, Nathan Lukes or Addison Barger," Sportsnet wrote .
Advertisement
The interesting part from Sportsnet is suggesting that a guy like Ernie Clement could be traded for Ryan. It feels more like the Twins would be looking for younger players, since they're not in a position to contend right now.
Ryan has been just as good as many around baseball over the past couple of seasons and impressed last season with a 3.79 ERA and 159 strikeouts in 144.2 innings.
Adding that to this Blue Jays rotation would be a very promising step in the right direction for a team trying to get back to the World Series after losing it in 2025.
