The Toronto Blue Jays may be seeking upgrades to their roster in the midst of their current slump, but John Gibbons says it’s difficult to pull off a trade.
Appearing on Baseball Central Thursday morning, the Blue Jays manager explained why finding ‘the right guy’ is just as important as the acquisition cost.
“It depends who it is,” Gibbons said on Sportsnet 590 The Fan. “‘Is this player good enough where you can eliminate a platoon and that makes you better?’ There’s so many teams having good, solid seasons, so the majority thinks they’re in this thing. So teams may be reluctant to move anyone. So it’s got to be the right guy. Does he fit? Does he have something left? Alex (Anthopoulos) is always trying to make the team better but you can’t always do that. It’s not that easy. Teams want your top guys for players who might not warrant that. And then there are salary things. Nobody tries harder than he does. There may be things on the radar but we’ll see how that plays out.”
“Alex is at it every day. This past offseason, he was trying to upgrade in different areas and trying to make the team better. He’s tireless. Over the winter, we were looking to add to the rotation so who knows if we’re able to get one of those guys (now).”
The Blue Jays are reportedly looking for starting pitching, but they are also seeking another position player — particularly an infielder — so they don’t need to rely on platoons as much as they have over the past month.
“We talk about position players all the time,” Gibbons explained.
UPDATES ON LIND, LAWRIE: A day after infielder Brett Lawrie took a pitch off of his hand, Gibbons didn’t sound too concerned about the injury.
Even after x-rays came back negative Tuesday night, Lawrie isn’t expected to play Thursday in the series finale against the New York Yankees.
“Brett may need a day off,” Gibbons said. “He’s a tough guy though. He’s one guy that will suck it up and give it everything he’s got every day. It may be in his best interest (to sit out). That thing swelled up pretty good. He got hit a few days ago on the same hand.”
Despite the optimism from Gibbons, it remains unclear how much Lawrie will play in the upcoming weekend series against the Cincinnati Reds.
At the same time, the Jays may see designated hitter Adam Lind back this weekend, but likely only in a pinch-hitting hole.
With the Jays playing in a National League park, the team won’t need to rush Lind – who suffered a foot injury earlier in the week – back into the lineup because they do not need to use a designated hitter against the Reds.
“He’s moving around better,” Gibbons said. “Then, we go to Cincinnati, so we won’t have the DH. That will buy him some more time any way.”
The Blue Jays enter play Thursday with a 41-32 record and a two-and-a-half game lead in the American League East.
