In the heart of baseball’s toughest division, a twist is unfolding. The Toronto Blue Jays just crushed the AL East-leading Yankees 12–5 — a statement win that launched them into second place and sent a clear message: they’re not backing down. After stumbling early in the season, their recent surge has fans fired up and postseason hopes climbing fast. But behind the buzz, bigger voices of the game are pointing to familiar warning signs. If the Jays want to keep rising, they’ll need to patch the cracks—fast.
With an impressive 22–11 record over their recent stretch, the Blue Jays are now just one game behind the Yankees. But it’s clear, there are obvious areas that need urgent attention if they want to keep the surge going. And there is no denying that one such area of them is their starting rotation. Sure, the Jays have managed to hold it together with duct tape so far. But if they’re serious about an October run, they should listen to Red Sox legend Pedro Martinez, who believes that, “They seem to be on the verge of taking off.”
“It seems like this year it has taken them a while to get together again because of the same problem — injuries. And Max Scherzer was supposed to be one of those pieces that was going to help this team take it to the next level,” Martinez said during a post-game discussion on TBS. “They’re playing well, they’re playing together. They seem to have the entire team synchronizing now, but they’re going to have to stay healthy and keep doing that, and get pitching, like Gausman, and do it in a more consistent way. Not just sporadic consistency from one starter, and then the other one goes down. And one other big factor — Springer. Springer looks a little bit different this year than the previous two years.”, he added.
Sure, the career-high 7 RBIs and his 9th grand slam against the Yankees are proof that George Springer has played a big role in their recent run. But as Martinez points out, the spotlight should be on the starting rotation, and their 26th-ranked ERA makes that hard to ignore. While José Berríos has been solid, Kevin Gausman and Chris Bassitt have struggled to deliver for the team. And yes, of course, injuries: Even though Max Scherzer is back, Bowden Francis is still on the IL. The three-time Cy Young winner, Scherzer, entered the season with a 3.45 ERA, but his three starts this year haven’t met expectations. So, how can they fix this?
Time and again, the Blue Jays have tried to stabilize their rotation by sourcing talent from outside, thank looking for in the minors. And right now, it’s clear they’re going to be aggressive at the trade deadline for a starting pitcher. At this point, that may be the only logical move, and with the deadline just weeks away, they need to act fast. The good news for the front office? There’s no shortage of advice on where to look.
Blue Jays could land Royals’ Seth Lugo
There’s no secret that the Kansas City Royals are struggling this season. With a 40–46 record, they’re fourth in the AL Central. It is the result of their offense that has dried up in the past month. So, as they look for a game-changing bat at the trade deadline, they might consider parting with veteran starter Seth Lugo. And according to ESPN’s David Schoenfield, the Blue Jays should jump at that opportunity, because the $45 million ace might be just the fit they need to plug their rotation gap.
Source: MLB.com
“Chris Bassitt and Scherzer will be free agents– so they’ll be looking for pitching help in the offseason anyway. Lugo’s contract is a more attractive option than gambling on a high-level free agent, even if it costs a team some good prospects,” Schoenfield wrote. He’s not wrong, the 35-year-old is 5–5 with a 2.47 ERA and 76 strikeouts this season. He has a $15 million player opt-out after 2025, making him a manageable target for the Blue Jays.
With the trade deadline fast approaching and demand for starting pitchers sky-high, getting the 2024 Cy Young runner-up on board won’t be an easy task. Teams like the Dodgers, Cubs, and Cardinals are already rumored to be in on Lugo. So, if the Blue Jays want to lock in a veteran arm with postseason experience, Lugo should be at the top of their list, and the time to act is now.
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