Blue Jays’ prospects brighter
Loup to Philly, Axford to L.A. might not be last of the deals
The departure of a pair of relievers capped what general manager Ross Atkins called a “very productive month” for the Blue Jays, in which six players were traded for 10 newcomers, most of the prospect variety.
Left-hander Aaron Loup, the longesttenured Jay, and right-hander John Axford of Simcoe, Ont. — signed as a free in February — were dealt just before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline for non-waiver deals to the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively.
In return, the Jays added a pair of 24year-old right-handers. Jacob Waguespack, the return for Loup, simply crossed the diamond at Buffalo’s CocaCoca Field after the deal. The six-footsix, 225-pounder — with a 4.68 ERA, 79 strikeouts and 36 walks between the Phillies’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates — was in town with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs to play the Triple-A Bisons on Tuesday night. Corey Copping, dealt for Axford, is six-foot-five and 175 pounds with a 2.52 ERA in 35 games at Double- and Triple-A.
Atkins said both deals came out of the blue, neither of them on the table until Tuesday.
“Waguespack (is) a very exciting pitcher that has power, has strikeouts and has size and (encouraging advanced stats) similar on Copping,” Atkins said. “The ability to get strikeouts, some power to the stuff … guys that are great additions to the system.”
That system, Atkins adds, is significantly stronger after recent moves.
The Jays managed to add eight prospects in all.
Five of them now rank among the club’s top 30, according to MLB Pipeline: right-hander Hector Perez (11), outfielder Billy McKinney (19), right-hander David Paulino (20), shortstop Santiago Espinal (24) and outfielder Forrest Wall (26).
“Ultimately, we have been thinking about that controllable talent from day one, and we’ve tried to contend while we’ve done that,” Atkins said. “We do not feel that we’ve compromised our ability to make the system as strong as it is today and are really excited about what that means for our future.
“There were a lot of opportunities that came our way because of that intention to compete, and some of them were traded away.”
That includes first baseman/ DH Steve Pearce, dealt to the Red Sox for Espinal and cash considerations at the end of June. It was that “opportunity” that crystallized the Jays’ role as sellers, Atkins said, though they had already realized at that point that competing this season would be an uphill battle.
The GM said all but a handful of Jays drew interest at the deadline, including Josh Donaldson, Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez. Tyler Clippard and Curtis Granderson were reportedly close to being moved. Deals can still happen in August, but players must clear waivers first. Atkins says discussions will continue.
There’s been a lot of talk about Donaldson, limited to 36 games this season and on the disabled list since the end of May with a calf injury Atkins said he has progressed to “explosive exercises” and his calf is nearing full strength.