Remember just a few weeks ago when there was chatter about Blue Jays' general manager Alex Anthopoulos and manager John Gibbons being on the hot seat? Well, the team's 11-game win streak has put that notion to rest and now big trade rumors are surrounding the club.
Toronto (34-30) has roared back in the AL East and sits one game behind the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays for the division lead. The Jays lead the MLB in runs scored (356) by a healthy margin (67). However, their starting rotation ERA ranks 26th (4.68) and the loss of Marcus Stroman in spring training, the current absence of Aaron Sanchez and the poor campaign from Drew Hutchison really foiled their pitching plans for this year.
The offense has kept them alive and now Anthopoulos is in a good position to consider all possible trades involving starting pitchers before the deadline to keep the team in contention and possibly break their 21-year postseason drought. Could he be looking to acquire Johnny Cueto or Cole Hamels?
ESPN's Christina Karhl took a look at what it might take to land either of these two starters.
"Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos might be able to throw a big enough bundle of the lower-level guys at Cincinnati to land Johnny Cueto to rent the Reds' ace for the remainder of the season before he departs for free agency, but that requires Cinci's Walt Jocketty to take a serious shine to Richard Urena, Miguel Castro or Jairo Labourt. But if Anthopoulos is going to chase after lefty Cole Hamels of the Phillies, you'd expect that [Aaron] Sanchez or [Daniel] Norris would have to be in the package."
Trade rumors have previously linked Hamels to Toronto in some capacity, but this is perhaps the first time Cueto has been mentioned. Teams such as the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers have scouted Cueto recently, so there will likely be big competition for his services prior to the deadline if the Reds opt to move him. However, he will cost much less in a trade than Hamels, who is under contract until at least 2018.
On the other hand, the Phillies recently said they'd be willing to pay down more of Hamels' contract, which could be something that interests Toronto. Their payroll situation was rumored to be tight, but ownership could approve an increase to acquire Hamels because such a move would undoubtedly maximize their chances of reaching the postseason.
The Blue Jays are also looking to upgrade their bullpen and have talked to the Phillies about Jonathan Papelbon and the Oakland Athletics about Tyler Clippard. Could they perhaps now be talking to Philadelphia about a package deal involving Papelbon and Hamels?
The only problem is that Toronto tried to acquire Hamels earlier in the season, but the left-hander said he would not waive his no-trade clause to join the Blue Jays, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. However, that was before the Blue Jays experienced their recent surge and had a winning record, so there's definitely a chance the two sides renew such talks and Hamels is asked about the possibility of waiving the clause for a playoff contender (assuming they stay atop the AL East).
After all, Hamels did say winning is the most important factor involving his eventual departure from Philadelphia. And the MLB's best offense may coax Hamels to change his mind.
