The last week of July had to be one of the most exciting weeks for the Toronto Blue Jays in years, or at least for this Jays fan.
In one week, the Blue Jays went from a team who many thought would struggle to even make a push for a wild card seed in this year’s Major League Baseball (MLB) playoffs, to a team that is now expected to not only make the postseason, but actually win their division and make a run at the World Series title - a title that has eluded Canada’s lone major league baseball team for 22 years.
In one fell swoop, the Jays acquired top-level pitcher David Price from the Detroit Tigers, arguably the best shortstop in the big leagues in Troy Tulowitzki from the Colorado Rockies, new lead batter Ben Revere from the Philadelphia Phillies and some reliable late-game pitching from the bullpen in the form of Mark Lowe from the Seattle Mariners and LaTroy Hawkins from the Rockies.
Toronto was able to acquire this haul for the cost of 11 minor league pitchers/prospects and their starting shortstop and leadoff batter Jose Reyes.
Some fans may be skeptical that the Jays have sold the proverbial farm for one kick at a championship, but I feel there is more to these acquisitions than just a one-and-done playoff push.
Most teams looking to make that big push for the post-season typically acquire players with contracts that are set to expire at the end of the season. But only three of the five new Jays will be looking for new contracts, while Tulowitzki and Revere are both locked up for a few seasons after this one.
A “rental player” is a guy who has an expiring contract that gets traded to a playoff contender then signs with a new team the following offseason for more money than his former team would be willing to pay.
However, I believe Price will not be just a rental player for the Blue Jays this season and here’s why.
Firstly, Price and the Jays are an ideal matchup. It’s no secret that Toronto has been searching for a new ace ever since they dealt Roy Halladay in December 2009. Since Halladay’s departure, the Jays have tried Shaun Marcum, Ricky Romero, R.A. Dickey and Drew Hutchinson in the ace pitcher role, but all have failed to claim the reigns of this title.
Price is probably the best pitcher the Jays have had since Halladay and I wouldn’t be surprised if Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos does everything in his power to make sure Price remains a Jay past October.
Price has only pitched one game since he was acquired July 31, but it was quite the debut — he only gave up three hits, one run, two walks and struck out 11 batters in eight innings for the 5-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Aug. 3.
With that win, the Jays are back in the wild card race, tied with the Twins and Baltimore Orioles as of Aug. 4.
Fans may be concerned for the Jays of the future with the team trading away 11 pitching prospects, but don’t forget there are two top prospects who are expected to be in the starting rotation sooner rather than later: Aaron Sanchez, who is currently pitching in a relief role, and Marcus Stroman, who tore an ACL in a freak injury during spring training.
The Jays have been on the bubble of post-season contention for the past couple of years now, but Anthopoulos never made a big trade deadline trade to help improve his team - until this year.
Now myself and every other Jays fan across Canada have a reason to believe that the Jays are not just going to make the playoffs for the first time since 1993, but also make some noise in the postseason.
