Blue Jays GM: We're not done making moves
As he fielded questions from reporters Tuesday afternoon about his club's acquisition of Melvin Upton Jr. earlier in the day, Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins made it clear there's still more work to be done with the non-waiver trade deadline looming.
"We're not done in any way," Atkins said from behind a podium at Rogers Centre.
Though the first-year GM suggested adding another position player before the Aug. 1 deadline is unlikely, Atkins said there's been plenty of dialogue with other teams about potential upgrades to the pitching staff, specifically in the bullpen.
"There's not one team we haven’t contacted on several occasions," added Atkins. "We've contacted all 29 on several occasions, in some way, and there’s five to 10 teams that we're talking to on a regular basis. Now it's mostly focused on pitching."
Easily the club's most pronounced weakness, the Blue Jays' relief corps has been shaky all year (with the exception of closer Roberto Osuna), ranking among the bottom six in the American League in losses (21), win probability added (0.21), and inherited-runner score rate (36 percent).
The trade market for relievers isn't the most robust, especially with Aroldis Chapman and Brad Ziegler having already been shipped to contenders, but there are some intriguing options in Andrew Miller, Jeremy Jeffress, and Jake McGee - and, Atkins said, the Blue Jays have the financial flexibility to take on some money in a potential deal.
"(We) still have some players to deal from in our system, and if there's a way to improve our pitching, we feel as flexible as we were yesterday."
On Saturday, three days before the Blue Jays sent Hansel Rodriguez to San Diego for Upton, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported that the Blue Jays had been discussing a potential deal for Andrew Cashner - a possible relief option - with the Padres, though talks didn't gain traction.
Cashner, as it happens, will start against the Blue Jays in Toronto on Tuesday.