Another loss Monday night (MIN 8, TOR 3) dropped the Blue Jays to 46-53 on the season, leaving them 13 1/2 games back of a postseason spot. They're out of the race and, not surprisingly, they are expected to trade away several veterans prior to next Tuesday's non-waiver trade deadline.
Chief among those veterans are impending free agents J.A. Happ, Tyler Clippard, John Axford, and Seung-Hwan Oh. Others like Marco Estrada and Justin Smoak could be on the move too. And, with the deadline approaching, the Blue Jays are beginning to show a little more urgency to get deals done.
Hear #Bluejays pushing harder to move Happ and relievers likeAxford/Clippard to avoid getting too close to deadline with too much inventory it wants to move.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 24, 2018
On one hand, the Blue Jays want to get the best possible deals for their rental veterans. On the other hand, they do want to actually get deals done, and the longer these trades take to come together, the more difficult the process will become. The front office doesn't want to be left trying to trade three or four guys the day of the deadline. It can be overwhelming.
Happ, despite his recent struggles, is Toronto's top trade chip at the moment. He allowed 25 runs in five starts and 26 1/3 innings recently before rebounding with a strong five-inning outing over the weekend. Happ owns a 4.18 ERA for the season and it was a 3.48 ERA before that rough five-start stretch. His track record is strong and several teams are showing interest.
A few weeks ago reports indicated the Blue Jays had a high asking price for Happ, perhaps as high as what the Dodgers paid for Yu Darvish last year. Now, with the deadline approaching -- and with Happ going through that recent rough patch -- the price is reportedly starting to come down a bit.
Source: Jays asking price on J.A. Happ has dropped from a few weeks ago. We asking teams for top 3 prospedt-types, now are being more realistic
— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) July 24, 2018
What is "realistic," exactly? It's hard to say. The trade that sent Scott Kazmir from the Athletics to the Astros three years ago seems like a decent benchmark for a Happ trade. Kazmir was an impending free agent like Happ, and Houston gave up two mid-range prospects (Daniel Mengden and Jacob Nottingham) to get him.
The Yankees have been connected to Happ more than any other team in recent weeks, which makes sense, because they desperately need another starter to replace the injured Jordan Montgomery. Other clubs like the Brewers and Mariners are said to be in the mix as well. The Blue Jays should have little trouble trading Happ for a decent return.
As for the relievers, the Blue Jays may have to wait for Zach Britton to get moved before finding serious interest in guys like Clippard, Axford, and Oh, who are serviceable depth arms more than difference-making late-game relievers. Still, there is always a demand for bullpen arms, even middle relievers.
