John Schneider made it clear where the Toronto Blue Jays' head is at right now, even after trading away bullpen depth this week.
Toronto sent Tommy Nance to the Twins for catching prospect Ryan Sprock, and yes, that costs the Blue Jays some relief depth heading into a stretch run.
Chad Dallas stays on the active roster even with Braydon Fisher back from bereavement leave, giving Schneider his answer at replacing Nance's innings.
"We feel like we have capable guys to step in," Schneider said of the right-handed relief options behind Nance.
But the bigger headline here isn't about one bullpen arm. Schneider was direct that the bigger sell-or-buy decisions are still weeks away, closer to the August 3 deadline.
Right now, plan A is to contend and buy, not clear out the roster, whatever the recent speculation around names like Kevin Gausman and Daulton Varsho.
Sprock is the return piece, and his numbers explain why Toronto was motivated to make this deal in the first place.
Why the Blue Jays paid extra to land this catching prospect
He hit .306 with an .877 OPS at Class-A for the Twins, drawing 49 walks against just 31 strikeouts before a promotion to High-A.
Toronto included $250,000 in international bonus space in the trade, a real signal of how much value the front office sees in an eighth-round pick who wasn't ranked among Minnesota's top prospects.
That pattern isn't new either. Brandon Valenzuela and Yohendrick Piñango weren't seen as top prospects and both have already reached the majors, while Jay Harry keeps pushing closer.
Nance leaves Toronto with a 3.22 ERA over 86.2 innings across three seasons, and Schneider didn't hide his appreciation for what he provided.
"He did a really good job of picking up innings that we needed him to," Schneider said. "Guys like him are valuable in any bullpen where you're reliable, you're durable, and you have good stuff."
It's a bit like losing a steady utility player who never grabbed headlines but always showed up when the job needed doing.
Schneider also weighed in on Dylan Cease's All-Star case against Cam Schlittler, saying simply that "Dylan has definitely made the case," a decision that's still playing out as the break approaches.
Do you trust the Blue Jays front office to actually stay buyers through the trade deadline?
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