Addition of Drew Storen Gives Toronto Blue Jays Options

By acquiring disgruntled closer Drew Storen from the Washington Nationals, the Toronto Blue Jays have given themselves a number of compelling options in both the bullpen and starting rotation.

Late Friday night the Toronto Blue Jays made their first significant transaction since acquiring Jesse Chavez in November, by trading incumbent left fielder Ben Revere to the Washington Nationals for right-handed relief pitcher Drew Storen, according to CBS Sports Jon Heyman.

Revere for storen is agreed upon
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 9, 2016

This trade not only fills an immediate hole on the Blue Jays roster, which was their bullpen, but it also provides them with a number of compelling options going forward.

Now don’t get me wrong, I loved watching Ben Revere play. I loved his fit defensively as a left fielder for the Jays, and heck, I even loved the fact that he was an SEC football fan, although I can’t say I’m too fond of his support for UGA.

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But when you’re able to execute a trade that would allow you to: A) fill a weakness, B) trade a player from a position where you have a surplus, and C) trade a potential non-tender candidate for a legitimate weapon at an even cost, you have to pull the trigger.

With Storen in and Revere out, the Blue Jays now face a number of questions entering Spring Training.

Who will be the team’s closer? Who will be the everyday left fielder? Where does Roberto Osuna fit in? Where does Aaron Sanchez fit in? Who bats leadoff?

I wouldn’t say these are troubling questions, but instead they are very interesting ones that the Blue Jays have plenty of time to answer.

Left field will likely be filled by Michael Saunders or Dalton Pompey, but let’s say Anthony Alford lights it up at Spring Training, could he be the answer in left field? It’s a long shot, but definitely something worth pondering.

As for the leadoff spot, the Blue Jays could try Troy Tulowitzki again. But if Kevin Pillar is taking that “next step” in his development, like many think he is, then he might be better suited atop the Blue Jays lineup.

Now for the really interesting question: what do you do with the pitching staff?

Drew Storen and Robert Osuna will likely battle it out for the closers job, although I think it’s Storen’s job to lose. How will Osuna react to being a setup man, though? He loved the closer role last season and according to Bob Elliott it was a role he wanted to remain in going forward.

Much like Aaron Sanchez, however, Osuna also has potential as a starter. Could we see the Jays try to stretch out both Sanchez and Osuna at Spring Training this year? Or could Storen be the setup man and Osuna the closer?

It’s an interesting storyline to monitor going forward, but it does have a direct effect on the starting rotation, as the Blue Jays No. 5 spot in the rotation is essentially up for grabs between Jesse Chavez, Drew Hutchison and Aaron Sanchez. The two pitchers that don’t win the No. 5 spot in the rotation will likely transition to the bullpen, which once again muddles that picture.

But let’s say the bullpen is Osuna, Cecil, Storen, Sanchez, Loup, Chavez and Ryan Tepera, that’s a pretty darn good bullpen. While it does leave questions as to who would be used in what role, it has more than enough swing-and-miss pitchers to get the Jays through the late innings.

Another option that emerges from this trade is the possibility of trading Storen at the trade deadline. Let’s say things don’t go as planned for the Blue Jays this season. Storen is set to become a free agent after this year and his rental tag would make him an appealing trade chip at the deadline.

But if you want to read even further into his pending free agent status, Storen’s expiring contract could free up money to potentially extend Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion at the end of next season. Sure, the Jays could have non-tendered Revere at the end of next season and saved the exact same amount of money. But would you not rather have a year out of a strikeout machine reliever like Storen, than a surplus of left fielders?

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Ultimately, for the cost of Alberto Tirado and Jimmy Cordero, the Blue Jays were able to not only rent Revere for a spectacular stretch run last season, they were also able to flip that asset into a consistent reliever like Storen. Not too shabby if you ask me.

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