The Toronto Blue Jays’ starters have the sixth-worst ERA in baseball at 4.55. The team has the American League East lead and may need to be aggressive at the trade deadline to hold on.
The Blue Jays have a 2 1/2 game lead on the Yankees entering play on Thursday. They could use help in the starting rotation, and FanSided’s Bryan Jaeger suggested the team trade for Chris Paddack of the Minnesota Twins. He signed a three-year, $12.5 million deal in 2023.
“If the Twins decide to be sellers, then Chris Paddack will be a starting pitcher who could be dealt,” wrote Jaeger. “He’s in his last season of the three-year contract he signed in 2022, and getting him wouldn’t cost one of the Blue Jays’ top prospects. Paddack has been injury-prone with his 95 1/3 innings this season being his third-most over his six-year career. The righty will be 30 next season, so the Twins could opt to trade him even if they are in contention, to see how their prospects perform and acquire a younger prospect.”
This season, he has a 4.64 ERA in 18 starts. It’s hard to argue that he would be an option over anyone else in the Blue Jays’ current rotation, but a deeper look into his numbers could paint a different picture.
“This wouldn’t be the sexiest acquisition, but his 4.64 ERA is somewhat misleading, as it was 3.53 just five starts ago, before surrendering eight earned runs to the Houston Astros,” wrote Jaeger. “The Blue Jays aren’t getting Paddack for this reason, though; they would be acquiring him for his success against their AL East foes this season.”
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He has a 2.88 ERA against AL East teams this season, per Jaeger. However, he has not faced the Yankees. If he can pitch well in the Blue Jays’ biggest matchups, he may be a cheap addition with high upside.
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