The Toronto Blue Jays will be one of the most fascinating teams in Major League Baseball between now and the Jul. 31 trade deadline.
Every series feels hugely consequential for this Blue Jays club right now. When they sweep, as they did on the road against the Seattle Mariners this weekend, they seem like fringe contenders. But they’re still a .500 team, and the offense can go silent at any moment.
While at some point, the Blue Jays might become obvious buyers, they’ll still be rumored sellers as long as they’re outside the playoff picture.
And though plenty of names get thrown around frequently, there may be an intriguing under-the-radar trade candidate on the Toronto roster, as one baseball writer proposed recently.
On Saturday, Zachary Howell of FanSided suggested that closer Jeff Hoffman, who just signed a three-year, $33 million deal with Toronto this winter, could be a top trade target for the first-place Detroit Tigers.
“The Tigers bullpen has great numbers at this point in the year. However, as the stakes get higher and games get more intense, having a reliable closer to turn to gives them more confidence in the ninth inning,” Howell wrote.
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“Hoffman’s availability will depend on where the Blue Jays are in the standings at the deadline… Less than 10 games separate the leader from the fifth-place team in (Toronto’s) division. If Toronto falters, the team could decide to sell their veterans to contenders, starting with Hoffman.”
The question isn’t so much whether the Tigers would want Hoffman–any team in playoff position would, because he’s one of the most dominant relievers in the sport. But would Toronto admit defeat on that contract so quickly?
It might not be as crazy as it sounds at first suggestion. Trades are a value game, and Hoffman’s value has never been higher. At the same time, though, there’s nothing stopping them from keeping him another year and moving him next year if they still can’t get into playoff position.
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