Anthopoulos says there’s plenty of chatter but nothing imminent
Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos said he’s not opposed to parting with a highly touted prospect to acquire a so-called “rental,” but he must weigh both the short and long-term health of his club in any deal.
“I think we’re always interested in taking a rental,” he said before Wednesday’s 11-2 Jays’ win over Boston. “It’s just the rental component impacts what you’re willing to pay. That’s the hardest part: managing the short term and the long term. You want to be in a position to have to make a tough decision, but it is . . . much easier to swallow when you’re giving up a young player when you know you can keep the guy you’re getting.”
With Major League Baseball’s July 31 non-waiver trade deadline just weeks away, Anthopoulos is facing arguably the toughest test of his six-year tenure at the Jays’ helm. His team boasts the best offence in the league, is currently just a half-game back of the division lead and looks poised to compete for a post-season berth for the first time in more than two decades. But their pitching has been mediocre-at-best and looks hardly suited for a pennant race or playoff run.
Anthopoulos travelled to Buffalo on Wednesday to watch one such young arm, Daniel Norris, pitch in Buffalo. The 22-year-old left-hander — known more for living in his Volkswagen camper van during spring training than what he has thus far accomplished on the mound — is the Jays’ most attractive trade chip. He also could be a big part of the team’s long-term future, and Anthopoulos will have to decide whether it’s worth giving up more than five years of control of Norris for just a few months of someone like Cincinnati Reds ace Johnny Cueto, who would certainly boost the Jays’ playoff chances but could walk as a free agent after the season.
Anthopoulos said he discussed a potential trade for a rental at last year’s trade deadline, in which the Jays would have given up outfielder Kevin Pillar and pitching prospect Sean Nolin, who was included in the package sent to Oakland for Josh Donaldson this off-season. Anthopoulos said he didn’t pull the trigger because he knew Nolin had “a lot of industry value” and they needed Pillar to shore up the club’s outfield depth with both Melky Cabrera and Colby Rasmus departing via free agency.
On Wednesday anyhow, Anthopoulos was watching Norris — who has spent the last two months in Triple-A Buffalo after starting the season with the Jays — to see if he could help the big-league team in the short term.
“He could be in the mix for us,” Anthopoulos said, suggesting Norris could make a spot start before the all-star break as the Jays are in the midst of a stretch of 17 straight games without an off-day.
After the all-star break is when trade talk will really heat up. For now, Anthopoulos said, discussions are increasing, but nothing is imminent.
The priority remains improving the pitching staff, preferably the starting rotation, he said.
“We would take either (starter or reliever) to improve, but I think clearly the rotation is the area that has the most need,” he said.
Anthopoulos also divulged a rare tidbit about a pair of unrequited deals from earlier this year.
“In May we thought we had a deal 90 per cent of the way there, I guess. We were moving towards what we felt had a good chance of getting deals done and it just didn’t get done.”
Naturally, the ever-cagey GM left out the juicy details, but even talk of the near-miss may hint at what figures to be an active and interesting trade season for the Jays. Brendan Kennedy