Bullet point summary by AI
- The Phillies and Blue Jays need aggressive moves at the trade deadline to upgrade their rosters and secure a legitimate spot in the playoff contention.
- Philadelphia should target Twins outfielder Byron Buxton to lead off, while Toronto needs to risk trading for Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara for depth.
- Both teams are battling injuries and fierce division rivals, making these high-stakes roster upgrades absolutely critical to saving their seasons.
You guessed it, pitching was the culprit of the Toronto Blue Jays’ 5-2, series-opening loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. That’s pretty much been the story for the Blue Jays, which will ultimately need to be addressed at the trade deadline. The Blue Jays are in a rough spot with their pitching staff and have managed to keep their heads above water. They won’t survive this season, let alone this series against the Phillies, if they don’t start making moves.
The Phillies and Blue Jays are in a similar situation. Despite them having slightly different records, both are in a position to upgrade their roster to get them in real playoff contention. There’s been a lot of talk about Mike Trout being on the move after he’s resurrected his elite hitting form, but that seems less likely by the day. As for Toronto, they should be focused on pitching depth.
The MLB trade deadline should be busy for both these teams. Even if they don’t necessarily need to make a lot of moves, they do need to make at least one key move each if they want to be taken seriously as a playoff contender.
Philadelphia Phillies: OF Byron Buxton
The Phillies have to get aggressive at this trade deadline if they want to keep pace with the rest of the National League. One of the most important positions they need to address is their outfield. If they added another solid bat to the rotation in the outfield to pair with Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, it could be what helps them gain traction on the surging Atlanta Braves. I like Bryon Buxton for the Phillies because they need a solid player that can lead off the sluggers in this lineup.
Buxton has taken essentially all of his at bats at the leadoff spot and still been an extremely productive bat in the lineup. This is contingent on the Minnesota Twins entertaining another fire sale at the deadline. If the Phillies can land Buxton—which is the next best alternative to Mike Trout—it could give them an offense dangerous enough to compete with the Braves and LA Dodgers.
The Braves have reportedly been interested in adding Buxton too, so if the Phillies can snipe him from a division rival and the leaders in the NL, it might just be the move that makes them legitimate contenders.
Toronto Blue Jays: RHP Sandy Alcantara
The Blue Jays need as much pitching help as they can get. Their bullpen and their starting rotation is slammed with injuries. Despite it all, they’re 30-37 and just on the outside of the wild card bubble. That also means, one move could help alleviate some of the pressure and be ready to compete for the second half of the season. Sandy Alcantara is a bit of a risk, but a worth-it move, considering the Blue Jays can’t be choosy.
Alcantara is two years removed from Tommy John surgery and in all honestly isn’t looking terrible this year. His ERA is a bit inflated at 4.33 in 14 starts with a 1.26 WHIP. Is he the best option? No, but he won’t be super costly and he gives them immediate help. If the Twins decide to move a lot of pieces this deadline again, Joe Ryan could be in play as well. I think the Blue Jays are better off relying on Alcantara.
With their unique injury situation, they’ll probably need to make a couple of moves to add some pitching depth. This is also contingent on how much healthier they get between
More MLB trade rumors, news and analysis
Add us as a preferred source on Google
