Toronto Blue Jays: Trading for Blake Snell would be ideal backup plan
The Toronto Blue Jays could look at many avenues to add an impact player this season and Blake Snell could be among the team’s targets if the deal is right.
It won’t be surprising to see the Toronto Blue Jays list of targets grow as the off-season continues but there will be some wondering as to how long that list will be.
Well, one name that hasn’t been linked to the team yet who should be is Blake Snell. The Tampa Bay Rays ace is reportedly hitting the trade market, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
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There are several reasons for the Blue Jays to want Snell who would pair nicely with Hyun-Jin Ryu in the rotation. He had a 3.24 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 63 strikeouts during the 2020 season.
During the Rays playoff run, he was holding opponents to a .194 batting average, while pitching to a 3.03 ERA and recorded 18 strikeouts. He had an incredible season in 2018 where he had 18 wins, a 1.89 ERA and 221 strikeouts that saw him win the 2018 AL Cy Young.
A big incentive for any team looking to acquire the 27-year-old is the fact that he has three years, $39 million left on his deal. Considering what the top free agents could sign for, any team would be wise to see what it would take to pry Snell out of the Sunshine State.
Tampa might not be inching at the bit to trade Snell to a team in their division but that has never stopped teams from exploring all avenues to getting the best deal. Of course, it’s tough to know what the Rays would want but there are certainly intriguing pieces Toronto could offer.
It’s been made known that Tampa is looking to add a quality catching prospect as part of any deal for Snell. So you have to think the Blue Jays would need to part with one of Danny Jansen, Alejandro Kirk, or Reese McGuire.
The real question is what the Blue Jays would have to add on top of that to make it enticing for the Rays to pull the trigger. You would have to think that Nate Pearson, Austin Martin or Jordan Groshans will be at the top of the list of demands.
Toronto will likely try to push Tampa towards Simeon Woods Richardson, Adam Kloffenstein or Alek Manoah instead which is still a substantial haul. However, if there are multiple bidders for Snell, this will make it tough for Toronto to be picky with the package they offer.
Most teams will likely look at Snell if they are not able to snag a top free agent pitcher. It would make more sense to push for a player who might cost more than Snell on the payroll but will at least a team can retain their prospects.
In Toronto’s case, they definitely have the pieces to get a deal done for Snell but it’s hard to know how far they are willing to push the issue of adding a pitcher. This situation is certainly worth monitoring.
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Do you think the Blue Jays should trade for Snell? What should they offer? Let us know in the comments below.