Toronto Blue Jays: Ideal trade deadline candidates to acquire

Toronto Blue Jays: Is a reunion with Daniel Hudson in the works?

Will the Washington Nationals return the favour to the Blue Jays if they make Daniel Hudson available as a trade option?

MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reports that Toronto and Washington have engaged in trade talks for Hudson and teammate Brad Hand. This certainly makes sense given the familiarity the Blue Jays has with Hudson and his experience.

Hudson has a  2.37 ERA in 29 relief appearances this year with 12 holds and has plenty of playoff pitching experience helping Washington clinch a World Series title.

Hand would be a strong pairing to go with Hudson with 20 saves this season and a 3.67 ERA in 38 games after he went a perfect 16 for 16 in 2020 with Cleveland. He was a rumoured target for the Blue Jays this past off-season in free agency but the Nationals were able to outbid Toronto.

What makes this an attractive option for Toronto is getting a setup man and closer in the same deal which would be beneficial in what Washington could ask in return. If the Blue Jays interest is serious then they should be looking to get a deal done sooner rather than later as some teams will be willing to up the offer if the deal makes sense.

Of course, Toronto could make this a blockbuster type of trade by trying to get Max Scherzer in the same deal but that might be asking for too much in one trade given what Washington could ask for.