Blue Jays make closer Kevin Gregg ‘available’ in trade talks

Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun reports that the Blue Jays have made Kevin Gregg “available” for a possible trade, which is noteworthy mostly because he ranks fourth in the league with 20 saves. However, if you look beyond the closer label Gregg is basically just a run-of-the-mill middle reliever and it seems unlikely that any contending team would acquire him to pitch the ninth inning anyway. Gregg has a 3.67 ERA in 34.1 innings this season after posting a 4.72 ERA in 68.2 innings for the Cubs last year, and he’s 19-28 with a 4.00 ERA in 468 career innings as a reliever. Gregg throws hard and racks up plenty of strikeouts, but his control is spotty and he has a tendency to serve up homers in key spots, averaging one long ball per 10 innings. Plus, he drew such little interest as a free agent this offseason that the Blue Jays were able to sign him to a one-year, $2.75 million contract and nothing has really changed since then. If the Blue Jays can get a mid-level prospect for him, they’d be smart to unload Gregg and be thankful not everyone has stopped overvaluing saves.