The Toronto Blue Jays could not have made the same trade the Oakland Athletics struck with the Chicago Cubs for Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel without including Marcus Stroman and Drew Hutchison.
The steep price would have only been the starting point in order to secure the two deadline darlings over the package the AL West leaders are sending over.
The Cubs receive three highly touted prospects in shortstop Addison Russell, outfielder Billy McKinney and pitcher Dan Straily for the two starters.
Russell is projected by some as an MVP-type player, McKinney is a multi-tool talent, while Straily won 10 games in 27 big-league starts last year.
It’s a package that sets a high bar for the rest of the trade market ahead of the July 31 non-waiver deadline.
Speculation had centred largely on the Cubs seeking prospects Aaron Sanchez, Daniel Norris and Dalton Pompey from the Blue Jays.
But both Hutchison and Stroman have been targets of the Cubs since the off-season and the Blue Jays would have needed to add at least one or two of Sanchez, Norris and Pompey, if not all three.
Such a deal would not have made sense for the Blue Jays without even considering the prospects because they’re looking to add to their big-league roster, not subtract.
Stroman, who threw seven shutout innings against Oakland on Friday, and Hutchison, who allowed a run over seven frames versus Milwaukee on Tuesday, are both key parts of the current rotation.
Meanwhile, Sanchez is viewed as being a step away from the big-leagues, Norris is making quick gains while Pompey is emerging as a potential solution to the club’s looming outfield holes.