The Blue Jays are reportedly in talks with the Padres about a deal involving right-hander Marcus Stroman, says Jon Morosi of MLB Network. While the two sides aren’t close to finalizing anything at the moment, the trade would check off a few boxes for both teams.
Stroman, 27, represents the kind of affordable major-league pitcher San Diego has been seeking over the last couple of months. Sure, he’s coming off of some disappointing, injury-hampered numbers in Toronto -- specifically, an inflated 5.54 ERA, 3.2 BB/9 and 6.8 SO/9 through 102 1/3 innings in 2018 -- but blister and fatigue-related issues aside, he’s been a proven presence in the Blue Jays’ rotation over the last half-decade. He’s also under team control through 2020, making his acquisition that much more appealing to a club whose rotation has consistently ranked in the bottom 10 since 2016.
The Blue Jays, meanwhile, are expected to net some minor league pitching depth in return. Morosi mentions southpaw Logan Allen and right-handed prospect Michel Baez as possibilities, though he adds that the Padres’ true top-tier prospects will likely be held out of negotiations. Allen reached Triple-A El Paso for the first time in 2018 and finished his run with a cumulative 2.54 ERA, 3.1 BB/9 and 9.1 SO/9 across 148 2/3 innings in Double- and Triple-A. Baez has yet to make that jump, and pitched to an underwhelming 7.36 ERA, 5.9 BB/9 and 10.3 SO/9 during his first 18 2/3 frames of Double-A ball.
