Well then, I was right about the next 24 hours being exciting.
It certainly wasn’t cheap, but the Blue Jays just acquired one of the best starting pitchers in the American League for the rest of this year AND next year.
They also acquired Joakim Soria, and won their first game back at Rogers Centre in almost 2 years.
It’s been an exciting, emotional, wonderful day in Blue Jays town.
Let’s break it down.
Wheelin’ and Dealin!
The Jays made 2 significant trades on deadline day, both of which should help them make a significant post-season push this year.
Let’s start with the big one.
The Blue Jays acquired starting pitcher Jose Berrios from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Austin Martin and Simeon Woods Richardson, two of the top prospects in the Jays system.
Well, you certainly can’t accuse Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro of hoarding prospects anymore, this is an enormous deal.
Berrios has pitched 723 innings since 2017, the most in baseball, and hasn’t missed a single start in his career due to injury since debuting in 2016.
While the Jays rotation has been surprisingly adequate for most of this season, Berrios will add some much-needed stability and will eat innings like no other starter in this rotation can, and the Blue Jays have him under control through 2022. That’s great value.
Berrios throws four pitches, a curveball, a fastball, a sinker, and a changeup. He’ll use the first 3 pitches most of the time, and will use his changeup sparingly.
Berrios may not be an ace, but he’s a true workhorse on the mound that will always give you a chance to win, even if he doesn’t have his best stuff. His 3.48 ERA and 1.04 WHIP this season are both extremely solid and are miles above what a guy like Steven Matz brings to this rotation.
Now, the Blue Jays did have to pay a hefty price to acquire Berrios. Martin and Richardson are the 23rd and 49th ranked prospects in baseball, one of which (Martin) was picked 5th overall in the draft last season. That’s certainly not nothing.
A lot of people have been criticizing this deal, calling it an overpayment. While that might be true, I still really like this deal for the Blue Jays. Prospects are never, ever sure things. Jose Berrios is. When you’re getting the kind of performances you’re getting from Robbie Ray, Marcus Semien, and Vladdy, you can’t afford to wait for guys like Richardson and Martin to develop. You need to find a way to capitalize on this incredibly talented team you have, and that’s what this front office is trying to do with this deal.
Don’t forget, the Jays still have a TON of high-end prospects in their system. Nate Pearson, Gabriel Moreno, Jordan Groshans, Orelvis Martinez, the list goes on.
The Blue Jays sold the farm in 2015 to get to the playoffs, and almost none of those prospects turned into anything. Yes, the Blue Jays probably overpaid to get Berrios, but that doesn’t make it a bad trade for them. Both can be true.
A smaller trade
The Jays also acquired Joakim Soria from the D-Backs today in exchange for a player to be named later.
I’ll keep it short, Soria is a veteran right-handed reliever who has lots of experience pitching late in games and despite being 37 years old hasn’t lost his velocity or his stuff.
He should be a great fit in a bullpen that’s looking pretty good.
They’re Home
This was an incredibly emotional night to be a Blue Jays fan, whether you were at the game, or watching from home.
After a lengthy pre-game ceremony and a beautiful montage set to Diddy’s ‘Coming Home’, the Jays had a game to play. Game 1 of a 3 game series against the red hot Kansas City Royals, who were hilariously booed when introduced in the pre-game ceremony. We’re still not over 2015, or 1985 for that matter.
The Jays didn’t disappoint.
After a couple of scoreless innings from Ross Stripling, Teoscar Hernandez ambushed a first-pitch fastball, hitting the first home run at Rogers Centre since September of 2019, and it was a no-doubter.
Cheeky bat flip too.
They wouldn’t stop there either, as George Springer would double the Jays lead later in the inning with an RBI double, his first of 2 doubles on the day.
You can just tell he’s gonna love hitting in Toronto.
Just 1 inning later, Bo Bichette showed us why he’s so valuable offensively with a lead-off single, and stole 2nd with 2 outs. His 16th steal of the year. He hasn’t been caught yet.
1 pitch later, that steal proved to be crucial as Lourdes Gurriel Jr knocked him in with an RBI single, extending the Jays lead to 3-0.
It was looking like it was gonna be a nice and easy win in the Jays return the Toronto, but the Royals did not make it that easy for them.
Ross Stripling was fairly effective for the Blue Jays in this game, tossing 5.1 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits. He did give up a bit too much hard contact, and had some trouble missing bats, only striking out 1. Still, he found a way to shut down the Royals offence for the most part, and after giving up a homer to Salvador Perez making the game 3-2, he was taken out for Tim Mayza.
When did the Blue Jays acquire prime Zack Britton?
That’s who Mayza looked like in this game. Mayza faced 5 hitters and retired all of them with ease, showing off his absolutely filthy sinker slider combo. He’s been such a valuable weapon out of the Jays bullpen in the last couple of months after looking totally lost for a while.
After Mayza got the Jays through the 7th with the lead still intact, the Jays tried to do what’s eluded them all season, score insurance runs.
After Marcus Semien grounded into a double play with the bases loaded, scoring one run, it looked like the Jays were once again going to squander an opportunity to get some insurance in a close game.
“Hold my beer,” said Bo Bichette.
A massive 2-run homer over the right centre field wall extended the Jays lead to 6-2, and after the Royals scored a run in the 8th and 9th, that home run is what made the difference.
Jordan Romano was brought in to close the game out with a 6-3 lead, and despite allowing a run after a Hunter Dozier single, it looked like he’d be able to shut down the game relatively easily. His fastball had some zip, and his slider had some nice depth to it.
He jammed Jarrod Dyson on an inside fastball, and he lifted the ball toward third basemen Santiago Espinal, who made one of the most spectacular plays you will ever see on a baseball field.
A bare-handed, over-the-shoulder catch sent the home crowd into a frenzy, and ended one of the most memorable nights in recent memory for the Jays.
What a way to end what was one of the best and most exciting days of the last two years, for so many reasons.
Some Final Thoughts
Wow.
What a day.
I can’t even begin to describe how amazing it is to see the Blue Jays back in Toronto. I may not have been there, but I felt all the emotions you saw from the players and the coaching staff out there on the field today.
After that pre-game ceremony, with all the players and staff coming in from the centre field wall, you just knew the Blue Jays were not going to disappoint in this game tonight.
This was an unforgettable night, and the best part is, we get to do it all over again on Saturday afternoon, as the Jays will send Alek Manoah to the mound, as he will make his first start back from injury.
This could be the start of something special.