The Toronto Blue Jays are coming into the 2014 season looking for pitching help and with Ervin Santana still on the market, some trade options for the team this season could be names like Justin Masterson, David Price, Jeff Samardzija and Max Scherzer could be options if they are available.
The Blue Jays reportedly were interested in signing Santana earlier in the offseason, but they did not want to give up draft pick compensation for him and they also balked at his asking price. Santana remains on the market and he could stay there for a while as teams wait for the season to start and as the schedule picks up, the Blue Jays could look into making deals during the season to bolster their pitching staff. The team has a solid rotation anchored by RA Dickey, Brendon Morrow and Josh Johnson, but adding another arm to that is key if they want to compete with the Yankees or the Red Sox in the division.
Scherzer and Price were both mentioned in trade rumors this offseason and many thought that the Rays would move Price, but instead they agreed on a one year deal and now he could be the top name to move this season. The Tigers are reportedly working on a long term deal with Scherzer and that is one reason why they traded Prince Fielder and Doug Fister, but Scherzer has said that he will not talk contract terms during the season, meaning if a deal doesn't get done, he could be trade bait.
Scherzer and Price are both Cy Young winners and if the Blue Jays added one of them, that would give the team two winners with Dickey being a previous recipient in the National League. Scherzer likely will not be moved, but the Tigers could surprise people if they get a good enough deal and the Jays could pull it off. Scherzer is 29 years old and is now on a one-year deal worth $15,525,000 and the Tigers will look to sign him in spring training if they can get a deal done, as he said he will not negotiate during the season.
Masterson is also an interesting option along with Samardzija, as both players were looking for long term deals from their teams in the offseason. The Cubs want to keep Jeff, but that could change as the season goes on, while Masterson comes in looking for an extension from the Indians. According to ESPN.com, Masterson and Cleveland are working towards a deal and he helped avoid trouble in arbitration with a one year deal worth just over $9.5 million and now he is in line for a bigger deal. If something doesn't get done, the Jays could look at the 28 year old as an option after he went 14-10 with a 3.45 ERA last season.