With the trade deadline just over two weeks away, Jon Morosi says Toronto Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos is staying busy kicking the tires on some potential sellers with an eye on pitching help.
The FOX baseball insider joined Dean Blundell & Co. on Sportsnet 590 The FAN Wednesday to discuss whether or not Anthopoulos is close to pulling the trigger on a deal for the likes of Cincinnati Reds right-hander Johnny Cueto. As the Blue Jays hit the All-Star break with baseball’s best offence and a sub-.500 record, Morosi wonders if perhaps Anthopoulos waited too long to address his club’s pitching needs.
LISTEN: Jon Morosi on Dean Blundell & Co.
“I was told the Jays are not close on anything,” Morosi said. “The Jays getting somebody from Cincinnati is a possibility, but there’s nothing imminent or close at all on that end of things.
“The only concern I have is that maybe the Jays waited too long to make a move. Maybe the time to do this was a couple weeks ago. You could even go back further and say this team needed more rotation depth in the off-season.”
The Blue Jays sit fourth in the American League East with a 45-46 record, but they hold baseball’s second best run differential mark at +82. Only the Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, and Philadelphia Phillies have surrendered more runs than the Blue Jays.
At 39-47, the Reds are likely to be sellers as the deadline approaches. Cueto will likely be highly sought after as an ideal rental arm, as the 29-year-old is set to become a free agent after this season.
