Report: Blue Jays Among Teams Looking to Trade for Marlins' Pablo López

The Blue Jays would like to acquire Miami starting pitcher Pablo López "sooner rather than later," per Ken Rosenthal.

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The Blue Jays are looking to fill a pitching hole.

With Yusei Kikuchi underperforming and heading to the IL, José Berríos still with question marks, and little rotation depth in the minors, the Jays will surely add a starter in the next few weeks. Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, one name they're interested in is Marlins' righty Pablo López

The Jays, alongside the Twins and Rays, are "among the teams that would like to acquire López sooner rather than later," Rosenthal wrote.

The Marlins are hesitant to sell, Rosenthal says, sitting within two games of .500 and with an owner who wants to compete. But if they look to make moves at this deadline, López would be a coveted trade piece. In 16 starts this season, he has a 2.97 ERA, 3.53 FIP, and 93 strikeouts in 94 innings. The 26-year-old's production this year isn't new, either, as over the last three seasons he has a collective 3.15 ERA in 254 innings (47 starts).

This isn't the first time the Jays have been linked to López either, as MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported the Jays spoke with the Marlins about a few of their starters in the offseason. López would both stabilize and upgrade Toronto's rotation for this year and the next few seasons. Arbitration eligible through 2024, López could form the core of Toronto's rotation alongside Alek Manoah and Kevin Gausman, and Berríos, if the latter returns to form. If the Marlins do look to sell, though, the price would surely be high for López for all the reasons the Jays would be interested in the first place.

Rosenthal also listed Angels' starter Noah Syndergaard, Guardians' Zach Plesac, and a few Padres arms as other top pitchers who could be moved at the 2022 deadline.