Pitching Pair Floated as Trade Candidates for Blue Jays: ‘A Fix Is Needed’

The Toronto Blue Jays have fallen well short of expectations to start the 2024 season, sitting in last place in the American League East division.

There is plenty of blame to go around. Star trio Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and George Springer have just 89 combined hits against 83 combined strikeouts. As a team, the Blue Jays are in the bottom 10 for batting average and slugging percentage.

But it might be the pitching staff that has disappointed the most compared to the 2023 season.

“The Blue Jays won 89 games and went to the postseason a year ago because their pitching staff — rotation and bullpen — was elite,” Mike Axisa wrote for CBS Sports. “They allowed the sixth-fewest runs per game in baseball. This year it’s the opposite. The pitching has been a liability, especially the bullpen. How do you fix that? It’s easier said than done, but a fix is needed. It’s time for GM Ross Atkins to get on it.”

Recommending what such a fix might look like, Axisa urged the Blue Jays to explore a trade with the Miami Marlins, who appear ready to listen for offers on nearly any members of the roster. 

“Is it too early to explore the trade market? No. No it is not,” Axisa added. “Miami righty Anthony Bender and lefty Andrew Nardi have combined for a 7.07 ERA, but the under-the-hood numbers are very strong, and there are reasons to believe they’ll be better moving forward. Both are high-end bat-missers. There are relievers to be had.”

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The Toronto Blue Jays Could Use Bullpen Reinforcement Via Trade

Up to this point, the Blue Jays bullpen has the highest ERA in the big leagues at a whopping 5.23 and the second-fewest strikeouts at just 106. 

Closer Jordan Romano, who was an All-Star in 2022 and 2023, has a 4.70 ERA in seven games finished so far. Erik Swanson, who pitched in 69 games last season with a 2.97 ERA, currently has a 15.63 ERA in just 6.1 innings this year. Tim Mayza’s 1.52 ERA from 2023 has ballooned to a 6.92 ERA this season.

So, it stands to reason that the Blue Jays could use some reinforcements to their relief corps. As Axisa noted, Bender and Nardi haven’t been doing much better in the ERA department up to this point, but like much of the Blue Jays’ existing bullpen, they have had recent success that suggests a change of scenery might unlock better performance

“In (Nardi’s) last full season back in 2023, he produced a 2.67 ERA/3.60 FIP, with 11.5 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 63 games and 57.1 innings pitched,” Neil Raymond noted for Marlin Maniac. “RHP Anthony Bender had a 2.90 ERA/3.57 FIP, with 9.8 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 82 games and 80.2 innings pitched. Both Nardi and Bender have recently had promising results.”

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The Toronto Blue Jays Are Stuck Between Buyer and Seller Status This Season

Given the recent blockbuster trade to offload Luis Arraez, it seems the Marlins would be ready to deal both relievers. But the bigger question might be whether the Blue Jays want to build back toward contention this season, or become sellers themselves. 

“The Jays continue to underperform,” Ken Rosenthal wrote for The Athletic. “Their payroll is a franchise-record $225 million. Their farm system is meh. And with many of their big names approaching free agency, the team is at a crossroads.”

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