TORONTO — When the Blue Jays first promoted Jacob Waguespack to the majors, there was no guarantee he’d stick around for long. Five outings into his big-league career his future remains uncertain.
Could the former non-drafted free agent continue defying the odds and prove himself to be a capable big-league starter? Maybe he’s better suited to long relief. Of course there’s a chance he washes out entirely.
Friday’s start, a five-inning outing in which Waguespack allowed three runs in a loss to the Rays, doesn’t answer those questions conclusively. Nor does it have to at a time the Blue Jays have lots of opportunity in the rotation. There’s plenty of time to determine where he fits.
“He pitched well enough to go back (in the rotation) for his next outing and hopefully build on what he did today,” manager Charlie Montoyo said. “The fact that we were still in the game when he left the game, that’s all I can ask.”
More to the point, Waguespack’s performance offers a useful reminder at a time that there’s constant trade chatter. Of course Marcus Stroman and Ken Giles are far bigger trade chips for the Blue Jays as the July 31 deadline approaches. The Blue Jays should be asking for top prospects in return for those arms (and by all accounts they are). It’s a massive opportunity.
Alongside those high-stakes trades, the Blue Jays will likely make some smaller moves, cycling out the likes of Daniel Hudson, Eric Sogard and Freddy Galvis. In many cases, the players coming Toronto’s way will never reach the majors, let alone make an impact. But as Waguespack’s presence shows, there’s potential to build toward the next contending Blue Jays team with smaller trades, too.
[snippet id=3305549]
This time last summer, Waguespack had recently been promoted to the Phillies’ triple-A team. With Philadelphia in need of left-handed relief they offered Waguespack to the Blue Jays for Aaron Loup. On Friday night alone, Waguespack pitched more innings for Toronto than Loup ever did in Philly, making that deal a win for the Blue Jays regardless of what happens from here.
“I love this organization,” Waguespack said. “I’ve been given a tremendous opportunity.”
Of course seemingly minor trades can end up looking lopsided in the other direction, as Steve Pearce showed when he won World Series MVP after going from Toronto to Boston last summer. Santiago Espinal, the prospect the Blue Jays got back for Pearce, had a solid but unremarkable .701 OPS at double-A entering play Friday.
You don’t win ‘em all. The point is, if you trade a dozen role players for a dozen wild cards you should expect a couple of them to impact your big-league roster. Maybe Thomas Pannone (acquired for reliever Joe Smith in 2017) can become the Blue Jays’ version of Wade Miley. Maybe Forrest Wall (acquired from Colorado for Seung-hwan Oh last summer) can build on his success at double-A (.796 OPS, 13 steals) and contribute in the majors. Or Maybe Waguespack keeps surprising people.
It’s not impossible to find impact talent in overlooked trades, either. With Mark Shapiro as GM, Cleveland acquired Carlos Santana for Casey Blake in a seemingly minor 2008 trade. Two years later, Cleveland acquired Corey Kluber for Jake Westbrook.
More recently, the Astros sent reliever Josh Fields to the Dodgers in a seemingly inconsequential 2016 trade. Three years later the Dodgers surely wish they still had Yordan Alvarez, who now has 11 home runs and a 1.061 through his first 32 big-league games with Houston.
[relatedlinks]
Granted, these deals are the exception. They stand out for a reason. No one remembers the dozens of long-forgotten trades in which middling relievers go one way and middling prospects go the other. The Blue Jays will make their share of those moves, too.
Back on the field, Waguespack has 22 strikeouts compared to seven walks in 24 innings through his first five big-league appearances. While his ERA sits at 5.63, his 4.14 FIP suggests he has pitched reasonably well. That’s something to build on, at least.
“I know I can compete at this level,” Waguespack said. “My outings have just been a couple pitches I wish I could take back. A lot of guys will say that, but I think I’m close.”
There’s definitely no shortage of opportunity in Toronto. The Blue Jays have traded veteran after veteran in recent months, making way for younger players. In the week ahead, that trend will continue.
Quite understandably, all eyes will be on Stroman and Giles, the two pitchers most likely to bring back impact prospects. But there’s also value to be found in smaller trades, even if they’re easily overlooked in the moment.
