With just over two hours remaining before the non-waiver trade deadline, the Toronto Blue Jays appear to be discussing Ervin Santana with the Minnesota Twins. Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported Monday that the teams continue talking about the right-hander.
Santana, 33, has a 3.66 ERA with 85 strikeouts and 31 walks in 120.1 innings this year. He has pitched particularly well of late, posting a 1.90 ERA over the course of six July starts.
Santana, who nearly signed with the Blue Jays in the spring of 2014, has two guaranteed years on his contract beyond 2016. He’ll earn $13.5 million per season through 2018 and his contract includes a $14 million option for 2019 with a $1 million buyout.
Santana isn’t the only pitcher the Blue Jays are looking at. Morosi also is reporting that Toronto is discussing right-hander Jeremy Hellickson from the Philadelphia Phillies.
The 29-year-old Hellickson is 8-7 with a 3.70 ERA in 131.1 innings. He also has 29 walks and 109 strikeouts this season, his first in Philadelphia. Hellickson is set to become a free agent after this season.
The Blue Jays are known to be on the lookout for rotation depth with Aaron Sanchez expected to return to the bullpen later in the season. While Santana makes sense on paper, he’s one of many players the Blue Jays could consider or place calls on in the hours leading up to the 4 p.m. ET deadline.
