The logic behind the Angels' and Blue Jays' baffling deadline deals
The Blue Jays and Angels are in completely different positions -- the Jays would make the playoffs if the season ended today, while the Angels are out of contention. Yet, as the two teams approached the nonwaiver deadline, they had similar concerns.
Neither club had many prospects to trade, and neither wanted to overpay for mediocre free-agent starting pitching -- pretty much the only kind that will be available this offseason.
The separate predicaments led to separate trades Monday that at first glance made little sense. But dig deeper, and the logic behind the Jays’ acquisition of left-hander Francisco Liriano, whose 5.46 ERA is the third-worst in the majors, and the Angels’ pickup of righty Ricky Nolasco, whose 5.13 ERA is the 11th worst, becomes clearer.
Both pitchers are under contract through 2017, which should help the Jays and Angels avoid signing equally dubious starters at higher salaries in free agency. The other potential benefit is the young talent that came in the trades; the Jays and Angels required it in return for taking on the struggling veterans.
The Jays, while absorbing the remaining $18 million on Liriano’s contract, also obtained two of the Pirates’ better prospects, outfielder Harold Ramirez and catcher Reese McGuire.
The Angels pulled off a similar feat, acquiring the upside of righty Alex Meyer by parting with left-hander Hector Santiago, a pitcher who is superior to Nolasco.
The deals hardly are without risk, particularly for the Jays. Liriano soon will take the rotation spot of All-Star righty Aaron Sanchez, who will shift to the bullpen in an effort to limit his innings. If Liriano cannot return to form, he not only might harm the Jays’ chances this season, but also could cause additional damage in 2017.
The Pirates, who excel at fixing pitchers, gave up on Liriano rather than try to revive him again. The Jays believe that Liriano’s stuff is still good, that reuniting him with catcher Russell Martin and changing leagues might help him restore his declining chase rate. What’s more, they did not make this move in a vacuum.
No, the Jays made two other trades on Monday -- righty Jesse Chavez to the Dodgers for righty Mike Bolsinger and Class A right-hander Lupe Chavez to the Astros for righty Scott Feldman. Feldman is a bullpen upgrade over Chavez, and Bolsinger replaces righty Drew Hutchison, who went to the Pirates in the Liriano trade, as Class AAA insurance. Either could enter the rotation, if necessary.
The other “addition,” if you want to call it that, will be Sanchez as a reliever. The Jays could still use another left-handed specialist, but they have overhauled their bullpen since the start of the season, adding veteran righties Jason Grilli, Joaquin Benoit and now Feldman. Sanchez will be a bigger weapon than all of them, and using him in relief will enable him to make an impact through Game 7 of the World Series, if necessary.
The Jays, according to a major-league source, were “relentless” in their pursuit of Athletics left-hander Rich Hill, who ultimately went to the Dodgers, and also discussed acquiring other starters. In the end, they settled on Liriano, knowing that he has the potential to be part of their playoff rotation and a better option for one year and $13 million next season than free agents such as Brett Anderson and Andrew Cashner.
The Jays’ series of moves required payroll flexibility -- the team’s lead executives, team president Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins, flexed the financial muscle they never had in Cleveland, adding more than $12 million in payroll for this season with the additions of Liriano, Feldman and outfielder Melvin Upton Jr.
Ricky Nolasco (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The Angels’ trade with the Twins, on the other hand, was entirely cash-neutral -- the Twins are accounting for the difference in salaries between Nolasco and Santiago both this season and next, and paying the $1 million buyout on his 2018 club option.
From the Angels’ perspective, the trade was mostly about Meyer, who was the Nationals’ first-round pick in 2011 and got traded straight-up for center fielder Denard Span in Nov. 2012, but at 26 has yet to come close to fulfilling his promise.
Righty Alan Busenitz, the prospect that the Angels sent to the Twins as part of the 2-for-2 exchange, might even prove to be a better major leaguer than Meyer. But the Angels placed such a high value on Meyer’s upside, they were willing to accept the downgrade from Santiago to Nolasco.
The exchange does not figure to help the Angels’ rotation in ’17; the question is, will it even matter? The Angels are unlikely to contend next season. If Nolasco’s ERA is 0.50 or 0.75 higher than Santiago’s, what difference will it make?
Oh, the Angels are not about to concede ‘17; they likely will seek to upgrade this offseason at second base, left field and possibly catcher. But like the Jays, they intend to steer clear of the free-agent starters. In fact, the Angels are so opposed to rewarding veteran mediocrity, they might even try some of their young relievers as starters next spring.
GM Billy Eppler, after inheriting the game’s lowest-ranked farm system, needs to be creative, take an occasional risk. His gamble on Meyer amounts to a swing for the fences, but the possibility exists that he will hit a home run. The primary cost if Meyer flops will be the difference in performance between Santiago and Nolasco, and perhaps the loss of Busenitz. Again, there are no payroll consequences with this deal.
No one should be surprised if the trades by the Angels and Jays fail to produce the desired results; the risks are that significant. But give both teams credit for trying. Facing difficult circumstances, they brainstormed, they improvised, they developed alternate solutions.
