The Toronto Blue Jays have been one of the bigger surprises in Major League Baseball this season, as Toronto is atop the AL East.
With the Blue Jays leading the division, Toronto will likely be aggressive ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. The Blue Jays have been linked to pitchers, but Blue Jays analyst Keegan Matheson believes Toronto needs to swing big.
The analyst appeared on TSN’s OverDrive on July 14 and urged the Blue Jays to acquire Seth Lugo or Jacob DeGrom.
“If you are talking about starting pitchers, yeah, it’s fun to talk about guys like (Mitch) Keller who could help out the rotation,” Matheson said. “But, you should also be talking about Lugo and Jacob DeGrom, guys who can start Game 1, 2, or 3 of a postseason series. The bullpen is going to be a part of this, but I do think a big addition to the rotation would really take this team to the next level. I keep coming back to Jose Berrios, how they got Berrios back in 2021, he still had another year on his deal, they took on that year, and extended him.
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“Looking forward, (Max) Scherzer’s gone, (Chris) Bassitt’s gone, (Kevin) Gausman has two years left and he’s gone,” Matheson added. “They need to find the next guy to be there alongside Berrios, alongside Trey Yesavage. They’ve got money, they’ve got tons of money. If there is a small market team that is looking to unload a guy and his money, the Blue Jays should be all over that.”
Lugo is owed $15 million this season with a player option for $15 million in 2026. The right-hander could be atop the Blue Jays’ rotation in the playoffs as he’s 6-5 with a 2.67 ERA in 17 starts.
DeGrom, meanwhile, is 9-2 with a 2.32 ERA in 19 starts and would be Toronto’s ace for the playoffs. He has two more years left on his deal, as well as a club option in 2028, so the Blue Jays could have him for three and a half seasons.
Toronto entered the All-Star break with a record of 55-41 and is in first place in the AL East.
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