The Toronto Blue Jays seem to have decided on two players they will trade at the deadline
Photo credit: Mark Blinch / Jays Journal
As the Toronto Blue Jays maintain their impressive surge, it's becoming clear they'll be buyers at the trade deadline once again.
Now tied with the New York Yankees atop the division and eyeing a strong position for the stretch run, the Jays are expected to strengthen their roster in hopes of making a serious postseason push.
These two players have likely played their last season with the Blue Jays.
Edward Eng from Jays Journal writes that to make that, the Blue Jays will likely need to part ways with some of their top prospects as acquiring impact players at the deadline rarely comes cheap.
Joey Loperfido, one of the main pieces acquired in last season's Yusei Kukuchi trade, quickly carved out an almost everyday role with the Blue Jays during the final stretch of the 2024 campaign.
"Loperfido did show flashes of his potential during that time, but was only able to hit .197 with a .579 OPS, 13 runs scored, eight doubles, three triples, two home runs and nine RBIs over 43 games of action. With the opportunity to challenge for a role with the Jays in 2025, Loperfido began the year with their Triple-A affiliate Buffalo Bisons and has stayed there ever since. He's hitting a solid .269 with a .756 OPS, 36 runs scored, 17 doubles, six home runs and 36 RBIs in 73 games with Buffalo. However, he has watched his teammates left and right get the call up to the big leagues, but still hasn't recieved the call for himself." -Eng
In other words, with names like Addison Barger, Alan Roden, Myles Straw, Davis Schneider, Jonatan Clase, Nathan Lukes, and even Will Robertson seemingly ahead of him on the depth chart, Loperfido may have lost his grip on a long-term role in Toronto. Given his impressive power potential and former status as the Astros' No. 6 prospect, he now stands out as a valuable trade chip the Blue Jays could leverage at the deadline.
"But when it comes to the most prolific power bat that Toronto may have in their farm system, there's none bigger than Orelvis Martinez. Ranked in top five in the Jays' top prospects list for four consecutive seasons, including in the MLB Top 100 last year, Martinez has the ability to be the next best homegrown prospect since Vladimir Guerrero Jr. With the potential to become a 30-homer, 100-RBI man once fully developed, he would be the perfect bat to add to the Jays lineup to significantly boost their offense." -Eng
However, a suspension last season combined with continued struggles in Triple-A this year has kept the talented 23-years-old Orelvis Martinez in the minors. Through 68 games, he's slashing just .189 with a .631 OPS, tallying 27 runs, 11 doubles, nine home runs, and 25 RBI's. Still, it's worth remembering that he's only two years removed from an impressive 2023 season in which he launched 28 home runs and drove in 94 runs over 125 games.
"Toronto should use Martinez to help address a need at the trade deadline without losing much in the short term. He will definitely be attractive to a rebuilding team that's willing to wait for his game to fully mature to unleash his full potential." -Eng
We'll have to wait and see what happens.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 5 | 1 ANSWERS The Toronto Blue Jays seem to have decided on two players they will trade at the deadline Which player is likely to get dealt by the Blue Jays at the deadline? |
TRENDING NOW
