The MLB Trade Deadline has passed and it's time to evaluate how the Toronto Blue Jays fared. The Blue Jays made several moves, both on deadline day and in the week or so leading up. We've broken down each trade Toronto made, and have a cumulative grade at the bottom. It does include the moves made a few days before the deadline. With that in mind, here are the Blue Jays' MLB Trade Deadline grades.
Trade 1:
Padres Get: RP Hansel Rodriguez
Blue Jays Get: OF Melvin Upton
The Blue Jays do lose Rodriguez (a top 20 prospect in the system), but they landed the OF help they needed. Upton proved to be cheaper than both Jay Bruce and Josh Reddick. Plus, the Padres are paying all but $5 million of Upton's deal. It's not as flashy as adding Bruce, but Upton fills a need and it was a sensible trade.
Trade 2:
Mariners Get: RP Drew Storen
Blue Jays Get: RP Joaquin Benoit
This was simply a swap of struggling bullpen arms. Both were bad this year, with Storen getting himself demoted. Benoit doesn't have the ceiling that Storen does (or at least did), but this trade is pretty much a wash.
Trade 3:
Dodgers Get: RP Jesse Chavez
Blue Jays Get: SP Mike Bolsinger
Without looking at the other moves the Blue Jays made, this doesn't make a ton of sense. Chavez was a bullpen piece for the Blue Jays, while Bolsinger is a backup starting option (at best) and likely more of an early bullpen arm. However, Bolsinger is under team control for five more years.
Trade 4:
Astros Get: RP Guadalupe Chavez
Blue Jays Get: RP Scott Feldman
And now the Chavez trade makes some sense. Feldman will replace Chavez, and Feldman has actually put up better numbers this year. He'll add to the bullpen and does have some starting experience if needed as well. Chavez is still in Rookie Ball at age 18, but has put up some solid numbers. This, combined with adding Bolsinger, was a win-now move.
Trade 5:
Pirates Get: SP Drew Hutchison
Blue Jays Get: SP Francisco Liriano, OF Harold Ramirez, C Reese McGuire
This was a straight salary dump by the Pirates and a bad one at that. Sure, they get Hutchison, but he wasn't even able to crack the Blue Jays' rotation this year. He's got more team control than Liriano and the Pirates do get out of the $17 million left on his deal. But the Blue Jays won this trade in a big way. For starters, Liriano could continue to start and maybe show some improvement and help a Blue Jays' rotation with some issues. But even if he doesn't, the Blue Jays landed two of the Pirates' top eight prospects in Ramirez and McGuire. Both profile as future starters for Toronto. It was a baffling trade by the Pirates and a great move by the Blue Jays.
Grade: A
Before the Liriano deal, the Blue Jays were going to get a B. They didn't really do anything major, but made a few cheap and incremental upgrades. It wasn't as sexy as landing David Price, but it was a solid deal. But the additions of Ramirez and McGuire (who are both top five within the Blue Jays system now) bumps this up a full letter grade. I don't have high expectations for Liriano, but adding those two young players for Hutchison and salary was a steal. The Blue Jays managed to both help themselves this year and in future years.