The Toronto Blue Jays are firmly in first place in the American League East with less than two months left in the regular season.
But they made it clear Tuesday they have their sights set higher than just finishing atop their division for the first time in a decade.
The Blue Jays made their first major trade-deadline deal by acquiring one of the top available bullpen arms, Seranthony Dominguez, from the division-rival Baltimore Orioles.
You’ve undoubtedly seen Dominguez switching dugouts — since the O’s and Jays were playing a doubleheader at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Tuesday.
But Toronto’s willingness to acquire Dominguez, and part with No. 10 prospect and 23-year-old Juaron Watts-Brown for Dominguez’s expiring contract, speaks to its belief in its chances to get back to the World Series for the first time since 1993.
Why Did The Blue Jays Acquire Seranthony Dominguez?
Playoff-contending teams almost universally trade for bullpen upgrades at the trade deadline. Many winning clubs rely heavily on high-leverage arms, which requires reinforcements during the dog days of the MLB season.
Though not as heavily rumored to be dealt as relievers like David Bednar or Emmanuel Clase, Dominguez is a veteran who has pitched in the playoffs for Baltimore and the Philadelphia Phillies, with whom he started his career.
He also has electric stuff, proven by his 56 strikeouts in just 42 2/3 innings and 11.8 strikeout-per-nine-innings rate, even though he can get wild (24 walks this season).
“He’s been around and has really, really good stuff,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said, according to MLB.com. “He can miss bats with a great fastball, great splitter and a good move to second base too, we found out. Moving forward, we’re excited to have him at the back end with the guys.”
Though he only has 40 career saves over seven innings, Dominguez can lock down games in a pinch, which is huge for Toronto, since it has been looking for a reliable closer for two years now.
The Jays traded Jordan Romano to Philadelphia, in part to sell high after his awful 2024 season. But even though closer Jeff Hoffman has 24 saves, and Toronto is 17-14 in one-run games and leads the second-place New York Yankees by four games, Hoffman has a 0.0 bWAR and an un-lockdown-like 4.87 ERA.
Dominguez expects to change all that.
What Did Seranthony Dominguez Say About Being Traded?
Dominguez spoke about the viral nature of his trade, since he was traded between games Tuesday then made his first appearance with the Blue Jays in Game 2 of the doubleheader.
“It’s been kind of crazy. I woke up today and came to play for the Orioles,” Domínguez said. “After the first game, I was in there hanging out with the guys and they called me and told me I was traded, so I went to the [other] dugout.
“That’s something you’re not used to happening a lot, but I’m happy to be here and I’m so happy the Orioles gave me the opportunity. I’m so grateful to the Orioles because they gave me the opportunity to do what I love to do.”
Blue Jays Bolster Bullpen With Major Trade With Division Rival