3 pitcher trade targets for the Blue Jays this offseason

On paper, it doesn’t make much sense for the Toronto Blue Jays to acquire a starting pitcher or reliever on the trade market this winter. They already have plenty of big league-capable arms and one of the best pitching staffs in the American League.

After picking up Chad Green’s two-year contract option, the Blue Jays now have most of their bullpen spots pencilled in for the 2024 season. And if Alek Manoah posts anything less than his career high 5.87 ERA, the starting rotation will be full as well.

But there is always room for improvement, even if it’s only incrementally. It’s unlikely the Blue Jays use their resources trading for pitchers this offseason, but if they decide to do an about face, here are some pitchers they should keep in mind.

1. Scott Barlow (reliever – San Diego Padres)

• Age: 30
• 2023 stats: 68 IP, 4.37 ERA, 79 SO, 1.0 fWAR
• Salary remaining: final year arbitration eligible

If you’re looking for an iron man reliever, there are few options with more games under their belt than Scott Barlow of the San Diego Padres. Since 2019, he’s made the fourth-most appearances in MLB by a reliever with 296. His ERA over that five-year span is 3.35 to boot.

If the Padres decide to dismantle part of their roster to trim some salary, Barlow and his estimated $7 million or more in salary arbitration would be a good place for them to start.

Barlow only has one year of team control remaining, but he’d fit in nicely as a Jordan Hicks replacement and would sub in for Jordan Romano in save situations if he runs into injury troubles again.

A player like Barlow is more of a want than a need at this point in the offseason for the Blue Jays, but in the event some of their starting lineup needs don’t materialize, building a juggernaut bullpen would be a hell of a pivot.

2. Ryan Yarbrough (starting pitcher/reliever – Los Angeles Dodgers)

• Age: 31
• 2023 stats: 8-7, 89.2 IP, 4.52 ERA, 67 SO, 0.8 fWAR
• Salary remaining: final year arbitration eligible

Ryan Yarbrough used to torture the Blue Jays as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays for five seasons, but his versatility as both a starting pitcher and reliever is a highly coveted quality for teams like the Blue Jays.

Yarbrough has bounced between the bullpen and starting rotation his entire career, and the Blue Jays would love to have that Ross Stripling-esque depth to cover them off in the event of an injury or another Manoah situation.

With only one more year of team control, perhaps the Los Angeles Dodgers decide he’s better as a trade chip than bullpen depth, but the Blue Jays could fortify their bullpen with a versatile pitcher like Yarbrough.

The only way the Blue Jays can make this work is if they trade away someone like Trevor Richards. In Yarbrough, the Blue Jays would get more versatility, a bit more of an established track record, and Yarbrough’s ability to pitch deeper into games as a starter.

3. Tyler Alexander (starting pitcher/reliever – Detroit Tigers)

• Age: 29
• 2023 stats: 2-1, 44 IP, 4.50 ERA, 44 SO, 0.1 fWAR
• Salary remaining: First year arbitration eligible, three years team control remaining

This one might be a bit of a Hail Mary as the Detroit Tigers just designated Tyler Alexander for assignment. He missed the second half of the season with a lat injury, but his rehab timeline puts him on trade to return in 2024.

If the Blue Jays jump the gun and line something up with the Tigers before another team can claim Alexander on waivers, Toronto might have a swingman project on their hands. Alexander pitched 25 games out of the bullpen for the Tigers in 2023, but he also has 43 career starts under his belt as well.

Alexander comes with a few option years and he’s under team control for the next two seasons. Under the tutelage of new pitching coaches in Toronto, maybe they could harness some of that raw potential into a bulk reliever or backup starting pitcher.

His fastball velocity won’t light up the radar gun, but Alexander works five different pitches out of the bullpen and the three different fastballs (splitter, four-seamer and cutter) were plus pitches for him in 2023.