Even in the unlikely scenario that they hold out without making a single deal, this inaction will have ripple effects that stretch beyond 2022. The trade market has a finite number of players, but there are a multitude of possible paths to take, from a superstar deal to some modest upgrades. To better understand how much the trade deadline could affect the Blue Jays going forward, we thought we’d take a look at the implications of all the deadline deals this front office has made. While their moves in 2016, 2020 and 2021 are very instructive because they were buyers who were contending for a playoff spot in those seasons, there is something that can be gleaned from looking at the entire story each year. For the purposes of this exercise, we also count trades made a few days before the deadline, as well as “deadline deals” in spirit.
2016
Additions: RP Joaquin Benoit, SP Francisco Liriano, SP/RP Scott Felman, C Reese McGuire, OF Harold Ramirez, SP/RP Mike Bolsinger, OF Melvin Upton Jr. Removals: RP Drew Storen, SP Drew Hutchison, SP Guadalupe Chavez, RP Jesse Chavez, SP/RP Hansel Rodriguez 2022 Extensions: Not surprisingly, none of the players the Blue Jays acquired are still with the team, though it’s worth noting that Reese McGuire has filled in admirably behind the plate at times, and the Blue Jays turned him into Zack Collins, who remains with the team today. Considering Collins has come to the plate just three times since returning to Toronto’s roster on June 25, it would be a stretch to say he’s making an impact right now, but he’s there. The most important piece here is Liriano, but his importance falls under ‘2017’.
2017
Additions: OF Teoscar Hernandez, OF Nori Aoki, SP/RP Thomas Pannone, 2B/OF Samad Taylor Subtractions: SP Francisco Liriano, RP Joe Smith 2022 Extensions: This is the big one. Hernandez is the crown jewel of the Blue Jays’ 2017-2019 rebuild and exactly the type of player you’d want to acquire at the deadline as a seller. The outfielder had some early bumps in the road — especially defensively — but ultimately shattered all reasonable expectations after joining the Blue Jays. Since returning from a demotion to triple-A on June 5, 2019, Hernandez has a 132 wRC+, the 20th-best mark among qualifiers. He’s a two-time Silver Slugger, an all-star and someone on the verge of earning a hefty contract, whether it’s with the Blue Jays or not. FanGraphs estimates his on-field production for Toronto is already worth $80.1 million. This deadline could end up looking even better for the Blue Jays if Taylor ends up making a major league contribution. The versatile 24-year-old has been an average hitter in triple-A this season after hitting double-A in 2021. His power and speed remain intriguing, even if the strikeouts are a concern.
2018
Additions: OF Billy McKinney, 3B Brandon Drury, RP David Paulino, RP Hector Perez, RP Ken Giles, RP Corey Copping, SP/RP Jacob Waguespack, OF Forrest Wall, 1B Chad Spanberger Subtractions: SP JA Happ, RP Roberto Osuna, RP John Axford, RP Aaron Loup, RP Seunghwan Oh 2022 extensions: This deadline involved acquiring prospects and young players that the team likely hoped would contribute four years later, but it didn’t work out that way. McKinney and Drury were unproductive. Paulino and Perez never made it. Waguespack managed to pitch for some bad Blue Jays teams, but never really got things to stick – and now he’s plying his trade in Japan. Spanberger eventually fell for Chase Anderson’s dart throw, which also never amounted to much. It’s hard to describe this deadline as anything other than dumb. Considering the number of players moved, it’s surprising that it didn’t leave any lasting impact. A month later, the Blue Jays were able to move Josh Donaldson for Julian Merryweather, but the odds don’t look great on that deal as it has yet to pay off long-term.
2019
Additions: RP Curtis Taylor, RP Edisson Gonzalez, SP/RP Anthony Kay, SP Simeon Woods Richardson, SP/RP Thomas Hatch, RP Kyle Johnston, OF Derek Fisher Removals: 2B Eric Sogard, SP Marcus Stroman, RP David Phelps, RP Daniel Hudson, SP Aaron Sanchez, RP Joe Biagini, OF Cal Stevenson 2022 Consequences: This was the infamous 42-year control deadline. The Blue Jays haven’t gotten much MLB production from this group, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been influential in building the franchise’s team. Woods Richardson aside for a moment, the inability of a group of young Blue Jays pitchers like Kay, Hatch, Waguespack, Pannone — and offseason trade acquisition Trent Thornton — to graduate from a viable start has forced the team to acquire veterans to fill these positions. Star players like Tanner Roark, Chase Anderson, the pair of pitchers the team acquired at the 2020 deadline, and even Yusei Kikuchi largely took part because the Blue Jays haven’t developed MLB starters other than Alek Manoah in recent seasons . Kay, Hatch and Johnston are currently working in triple-A and could of course fix, but Sales’ last year didn’t produce consistent contributors in the MLB.
2020
Additions: SP/RP Ross Stripling, SP Taijuan Walker, SP Robbie Ray, INF Jonathan Villar Removals: RP Travis Bergen, SP Kendall Williams, 1B/OF Ryan Noda, OF Griffin Conine 2022 Extensions: The impact of this deadline is felt in a profound way by the 2022 Blue Jays. That starts with Stripling, who has been excellent as the team’s fourth baseman with a 3.10 ERA and 3.11 FIP to match. Hyun-Jin Ryu’s injury and Kikuchi’s inconsistency could easily derail the 2022 Blue Jays rotation. Stripling’s play has prevented that from happening, as the right-hander has been much more impactful this year than he was in 2020 or 2021. Ray’s signing also remains relevant despite his absence from the current squad. His success as a high-velocity lefty with questionable command likely played a role in the Blue Jays’ acquisition of Kikuchi, a southpaw with a similar repertoire. Signing the Japanese left-hander to a three-year contract was a risky move, and it’s hard to see it happening without the team helping Rei work through his issues first. More immediately, his departure in free agency after the 2021 season resulted in the Blue Jays getting the 78th pick in the 2022 draft. The player selected with that pick — college second baseman Cade Doughty — won’t help team this year, but if made the prospect of noting that the Blue Jays dealing with Ray as a rehab project will carry weight beyond his excellent production in Toronto.
2021
Additions: SP Jose Berrios, RP Brad Hand, RP Joakim Soria Removals: SS/OF Austin Martin, SP Simeon Woods Richardson, C Riley Adams, SP Yaifer Perdomo, C JJ D’Orazio 2022 extensions: Like Liriano, Woods Richardson makes two appearances on this list as the Blue Jays go from seller to buyer. It’s too early to know how this deal will pan out, but Berrios is a huge part of the team’s present and future success, especially after signing a $131 million extension. Neither Martin nor Woods Richardson have graduated from double-A, meaning they likely wouldn’t have made an impact on the 2022 Blue Jays had they stayed. That means Berrios’ drive — for now — is just as good as it is productive. That makes it a mixed bag so far, as the right-hander had some promising outings but ended up posting a 5.20 ERA and 0.4 WAR on the season.
