The Toronto Blue Jays might be looking to make a big splash at the trade deadline—and they could have their sights set on the most dominant pitcher in baseball right now.
Injuries have ravaged Toronto's starting rotation through the first month of the season. Cody Ponce is out for the year after tearing his ACL in his first start, while top prospect Trey Yesavage just made his season debut Tuesday following a right shoulder impingement that required a rehab stint. Meanwhile, Shane Bieber and José Berríos remain on the injured list, and future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer has been sidelined with right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation.
With frontline starters like Dylan Cease and Kevin Gausman needing support, FanSided's Mark Powell suggests the Blue Jays should call the Los Angeles Angels about MLB's ERA leader, José Soriano. The right-hander has been nearly unhittable, posting a microscopic 0.84 ERA through seven starts—a breakout that looks like the real deal.
"Assuming the Angels are out of the AL West race by early August, expect Soriano's name to at least be floated in trade chatter," Powell wrote. "If the Angels are serious about moving him, they'll have no shortage of suitors."
Toronto's team ERA sits at 4.21, which simply isn't cutting it for a club with postseason aspirations. While Cease, Yesavage, and Gausman form a solid core, none have matched Soriano's dominance this season. Adding him would give the Blue Jays a legitimate ace to pair with Cease at the top of the rotation.
Acquiring Soriano won't come cheap—and several other contenders will surely be in the mix. But with injuries piling up and the trade deadline approaching, this is exactly the kind of aggressive move Toronto needs to consider if they want to stay in the playoff hunt.
