A large media contingent had gathered near the Blue Jays dugout late in the afternoon on Friday, waiting patiently for the arrival of general manager Ross Atkins, when Russell Martin ambled past.
The Toronto catcher, having just finished batting practice, had an impish look on his bearded face as he walked by.
“What’s going on,” he finally called out to no one in particular. “Did I get traded?”
As Martin well knows, this is the time of year when many general managers start to hang “For Sale” signs on their rosters, when their voicemail on their mobiles begins with the phrase “Let’s Make a Deal.”
Although the league’s non-waiver trade deadline is not until July 31, GMs such as Atkins know that the tea leaves don’t lie – especially when your team has already fallen behind in double-digits in the race for a wild-card playoff berth.
Atkins won’t come right out and declare the 2018 campaign toast nearing the midway point of the season. There are still tickets to try to peddle, after all.
But by jump-starting the trade action when he sent veteran utilityman Steve Pearce to the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night, Atkins has left little doubt that the Toronto Blue Jays are open for business.
In return, the Blue Jays received minor-league prospect Santiago Espinal, a 23-year-old middle-infielding prospect who has yet to progress beyond high-A ball.
“We’re in a situation where the needle is pointing more to the future for us, given where we sit in the division and how far we are out in the wild card,” Atkins said on Friday before his 37-43 Blue Jays began a four-game Canada Day weekend set against the Detroit Tigers.
“Having said that,” Atkins continued, “we have a solid team that just performed well on a very tough road trip and a lot of players that are driven to win here.”
While the definition of success may be different for the front-running New York Yankees or the Red Sox, it is unlikely they would be overly pumped after a 3-4 trip, even if it was against the World Series defending-champion Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Angels.
The Red Sox wasted no time in welcoming Pearce. He was in the starting lineup on Friday night at first base, and batting clean-up, in their key encounter with the Yankees in New York.
The Blue Jays have several more sure-fire trade prospects who are sure to garner plenty of attention. It should make the next month very intriguing from the Toronto perspective, not to mention unnerving for those players whose future with the Blue Jays is uncertain.
Chief among them is J.A. Happ, the fine left-handed pitcher who is felt to be one of the best starters to be available on the market. And Happ is on an expiring contract, which enhances his marketability.
So is third baseman Josh Donaldson, but his injuries make his trade value murky.
Curtis Granderson and Marco Estrada, other players who are on expiring contracts, could also be viewed as prime trading chips. Atkins indicated he would not hesitate to move any player who is under contract beyond the end of this season.
“We have what we feel is a very good team and a lot of attractive pieces,” he said. “We have both, we have a lot of players that are on expiring contracts and we have a lot of really talented players that are under control. So, to say that we won’t have discussions on players that are under control is not a stance we ever take.”
To do so, Atkins said, would “paint ourselves into a box.”
To complete the Pearce deal, the Blue Jays also had to send about US$1.66-million to the Red Sox. Pearce is in the final year of a two-year, US$12.5-million contract that he originally signed with Toronto.
In Espinal, the Blue Jays are getting a still-raw prospect who can play both second and shortstop, which is what attracted him to Toronto’s bird-doggers in the first place.
“Middle-of-the-diamond players, you can’t have enough of them, you really can’t,” Atkins said. “The athleticism, that’s where it all begins. If you can play in the middle you can often play anywhere else. So that’s first and foremost. Above-average runner and he’s performing well at a decent level. So there’s plenty to like.”