Report: Jays made run at Indians' Ramirez, Tigers' Grossman
The Toronto Blue Jays had an eventful trade deadline this past summer by landing Minnesota Twins ace Jose Berrios, among others, but it could have been even bigger.
The team reportedly tried acquiring Cleveland Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez and Detroit Tigers outfielder Robbie Grossman, according to Sportsnet's Shi Davidi.
Ramirez, 29, should be well known to Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro, who acted as the Indians' general manager until 2015. The three-time All-Star accrued 9.8 WAR over the past two seasons, which ranks first among hitters, according to FanGraphs.
The three-time Silver Slugger has two team options remaining on his contract, and he's owed $12 million in 2022 and $14 million in 2023.
Cleveland traded away a number of stars over roughly the last year, including Francisco Lindor to the New York Mets and Mike Clevinger to the San Diego Padres.
The Blue Jays finished tantalizingly close to a postseason spot at 91 wins and were one game back of both the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. However, the club's production from third base was lackluster this year. Toronto's 1.8 WAR and 86 wRC+ at the position ranked 19th, according to FanGraphs.
While he's not a star like Ramirez, Grossman has shown impressive on-base acumen throughout his career. The 32-year-old hit .239/.357/.415 this year with 23 home runs and 20 steals. The switch-hitter is owed $5 million next season.
It's unclear how in-depth the talks between the clubs got or whether Toronto will continue to be interested in acquiring either player this winter.