The Toronto Blue Jays have been connected to Marcus Stroman since the weekend, but it would be unwise to trade for him now.
The Blue Jays should avoid Marcus Stroman for several reasons. First, he insulted general manager Ross Atkins on his way out the door. Second, his value is far too high right now as a National League Cy Young contender.
Per Bruce Levine of 670 The Score, the Jays have inquired about Stroman:
"According to MLB sources, the Blue Jays are one of the teams that have expressed strong interest in what may be a Stroman sweepstakes by the last week of July.
Both the Cubs and Jays have done their due diligence on the strength of each other's farm systems. Stroman was drafted and promoted through the Blue Jays' system before getting traded to the Mets during the 2019 season. He compiled a 47 -45 record with Toronto and a 3.76 ERA in six seasons."
Stroman has an opt-out after this season, and he'd be wise to use it as he'll be one of the best starters on the free-agent market at this rate. To acquire Stro in a trade, though, the Blue Jays will have to part ways with some of their top prospects at the very least.
Here are a few players they can target instead.
Blue Jays rumors: Cardinals OF Tyler O'Neill is an easy trade target
Tyler O'Neill is from Canada, so it makes a lot of sense that he would play for the country's only MLB team, the Toronto Blue Jays. Perhaps even better is that he is a rental bat — a right-handed one at that — which the Jays desperately need. O'Neill hasn't proven capable at the plate this past season, but he has Gold Glove potential in the field and at the very least can play a vital role off the Toronto bench.
One look at the Toronto outfield suggests they are set at the position in Daulton Varsho, Kevin Kiermaier and George Springer. However, having more flexibility is never a bad thing. Springer and Kiermaier both have extensive injury histories.
O'Neill offers the Jays a right-handed bat off the bench and a two-time gold glover who can come in as a defensive replacement in the postseason. And given his contract and health concerns, the Jays can get him for cheap. What's the catch?
Blue Jays Rumors: Tyler Montgomery has received interest from Toronto
It's no secret that the Cardinals are selling off plenty of assets, which is why the first two players on this list are, well, players on the St. Louis squad. Toronto has been interested in Jordan Montgomery for a few weeks. He has an impressive ERA and was acquired last season at the trade deadline for Harrison Bader in a deal with the New York Yankees.
Montgomery has lived up to his end of the bargain. Unfortunately, the Cards have not, and are playing far under their expectations heading into the season. St. Louis' front office is doing all they can to sell off expiring assets in preparation for a 2024 run.
As Jays Journal's Eric Treuden stated in a recent article, Montgomery could provide some insurance for a Toronto team that has dealt with rotation uncertainty all season long:
"The fit on the Blue Jays is very easy to see for a pitcher of Montgomery's stature. With Alek Manoah representing a gigantic question mark and Hyun Jin Ryu's seamless recovery another area of uncertainty, there's a wide open spot in the current starting rotation. Gausman, Bassitt, Berríos and Kikuchi form one of the top one-through-fours in the league, but adding a proven starter who is not only a left-hander but has been pitching very well for the past few years would be a massive move for a Jays club eyeing contention."
While Kevin Gausman's recent injury shouldn't require an IL stint (we hope), it does provide even more of a reason for the Jays to add to their rotation. Montgomery allows that, and doesn't come with the extra baggage.
Blue Jays Rumors: Lance Lynn would provide a rotation upgrade for 2023 and beyond
While the peripherals on Lance Lynn aren't great, his K/9 ratio is over 11, and he's been trending in the right direction. Lynn's final start prior to the All-Star Break was impressive, as he struck out 11 batters and gave up just a lone hit in seven innings of work. Since then, he gave up four runs in just over five innings of action against a loaded Braves lineup.
Toronto should be incredibly familiar with Lynn, as that seven-inning performance came against them. The Blue Jays lineup isn't anything to sneeze at, either, and Lynn made them look remarkably human.
"To be honest with you, I've got more stuff than I've ever had in my career," said Lynn at the time. "So it's kind of a weird feeling when you look at the numbers of win/loss and ERA being as bad as they are. There's a lot of good I've done. It just doesn't look it. So I've just got to keep going, and hopefully everything kind of evens out at the end of the year. If I keep doing what I'm doing, it should."
Lynn is signed through the end of this season and the next, so should he perform well, Toronto would have another pitcher it could rely upon in 2024. That does mean he'll cost a little extra, as well, but if the Jays believe in their coaches and development staff, there's little reason to hold back. Lynn fits their competitive window.
