Marco Estrada could turn out to be one of the most valuable trade chips for the Toronto Blue Jays should they fail to rebound from a slow start, but the right-hander's hope is to remain with the club.
"I don't like to think about that sort of stuff," Estrada said of his impending free agency when speaking on Sportsnet's Starting Lineup on Wednesday. "I keep saying the same thing. I want to come back. I want to play here in this city and be a Blue Jay but it's not always up to me. We'll see what happens. I'm not going to get into it but I know that time's coming."
Estrada is in the final season of a two-year, $26-million deal and could net the Blue Jays a nice return should they opt to deal him. The 33-year-old has been one of the most consistent starters for the club since arriving prior to the 2015 season and owns a 3.14 ERA and 1.16 WHIP over 43 innings this year.
Should the Blue Jays trade Estrada, they could always re-sign him in the offseason similar to what the New York Yankees did with Aroldis Chapman last season.
