8 Starting Pitchers the Blue Jays Could Target at the Trade Deadline
The Blue Jays have plenty of positives in the starting rotation.
Alek Manoah and Kevin Gausman are building Cy Young campaigns, José Berríos strung together a few solid starts into the All-Star Break, and Ross Stripling has been a quiet savior since joining the starting staff.
But, with a season-ending injury to Hyun Jin Ryu, the unpredictable inconsistencies of Yusei Kikuchi, and little upper minors depth, starting pitching is still Toronto's biggest need heading into the 2022 trade deadline.
Looking up and down the SP market, here are eight arms the Blue Jays could target ahead of August 2:
The Controllable Aces:
RHP Frankie Montas & RHP Luis Castillo
Both Montas and Castillo are near-perfect mirrors of the Berríos trade from last year's deadline—a top-of-rotation talent, though maybe not a true ace, with 1.5 years of team control left.
In the last two seasons (50 starts) Montas has a 3.3 ERA (3.32 FIP) and 9.8 strikeouts per nine. Castillo has been similarly consistent, posting a sub-4 ERA in each of his last four seasons and rocking a 2.77 mark in 2022.
However, just like Berríos, these Athletics and Reds hurlers will fetch several top prospects back to their respective teams. The Blue Jays need starting pitching, but so do other contending teams. With the Yankees, Dodgers, and Astros all also reportedly interested in Castillo, the cost for the market's best arms could soar.
The Expiring Upside Arms:
RHP Noah Syndergaard
A Blue Jay debut 12 years after Syndergaard was drafted by Toronto would be pretty fun, wouldn't it? It could also be the exact upside arm Toronto's rotation needs.
Coming off 2020 Tommy John surgery and a 2021 setback, Syndergaard isn't immediately back to blowing batters away as he did with the Mets. The fastball is down a few miles per hour (sitting at 94) and his strikeout rates are the lowest of his career. But, the 29-year-old has still been effective, posting a 4.0 ERA and 4.28 xERA in 14 starts this season, allowing over three runs in just three of his outings.
The biggest Thor questions are durability and availability. The righty has broken 160 IP just twice in his career and expecting late-season success coming off TJ could be asking a lot. And, though the Angels sit at 39-53 and 21.5 games back of the AL West lead, are they willing to toss the towel and sell on another season of Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani's prime?
LHP Jose Quintana
From 2019 through 2021, Quintana had a 5.13 ERA, pitched just 244 innings, and lost his hold on a regular rotation spot. This season in Pittsburgh, the 33-year-old lefty has had a resurgence, rocking a 3.99 ERA (3.32 FIP) in his 19 pre-AS Break starts.
He may be closer to a mid-4s ERA starter, according to some expected stats, but from a pending free agent deadline add that could be all Toronto needs to get to the postseason.
LHP Martín Peréz
Speaking of resurgent seasons from southpaw veterans, Peréz is halfway through the best season of his career during his 11th MLB campaign. The 31-year-old has a 2.68 ERA and 3.14 FIP 18 starts into the season, but with the Rangers only seven games back of an expanded postseason spot, they may not be inclined to move their surprise ace.
The Depth Deadline Adds:
If the Blue Jays miss out on some of the top or mid-rotation options in the pitching trade market, backfilling depth should still solve the consistency issues that have plagued the starting staff at times this year.
RHP Zach Davies
Davies is quietly having a solid season in the desert, posting a 3.94 ERA in 15 starts for Arizona, but is currently on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to June 26, with shoulder inflammation.
LHP Wade Miley
Miley, too, has injury question marks but comes with a decent track record of bottom-rotation reliability. The lefty isn't expected back before the deadline with a shoulder strain, but could be low-cost rotation insurance if paired with another move.
LHP Drew Smyly
Another current/former Cubs starter with an injury asterisk? Yup.
Smyly missed a chunk of time this season with a strained oblique but returned for a single start ahead of the All-Star Break. In 11 outings this year, he has a 4.22 ERA and posted a 4.48 ERA as a swingman for the World Series champion Braves in 2021.
Mitch Bannon is a baseball reporter for Sports Illustrated covering the Toronto Blue Jays and their minor league affiliates.Twitter: @MitchBannon