The Toronto Blue Jays are in the thick of the playoff race and with the MLB trade deadline approaching, names like Asdrubal Cabrera, Marlon Byrd, Chris Denorfia, Jon Lester and John Lackey could be targets, while teams like the Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and Indians could be interested in dealing.
According to the Toronto Sun, the Blue Jays are looking to shore things up the middle and Cabrera could be the main target for the team. Cabrera has some power and he also is a switch hitter and it likely means that the team would have to give up a solid prospect to get the deal done, but Toronto may not want to do that. Denorfia has been a target from the Padres and the Seattle Mariners could be looking at him as well this year at the deadline.
The Blue Jays have one of the best offenses in the league and they now are in the wild card lead for the second spot in the AL and they also are right in the mix in the division. The team is ranked in the top five in runs, batting average and home runs as well as one base and slugging percentage and adding more to that could put the team over the top. The pitching rotation could use a boost and Lester could be a target, but the Red Sox may not want to trade him to a rival.
Kemp is a bat to keep an eye on, but the Blue Jays are not looking at adding all that money, while the Mariners could be interested. According to Hardball Talk, the Mariners were connected in talks to the White Sox and Dayan Viciedo earlier in the season and now ESPN.com is reporting that he could be traded at the deadline. ESPN.com reporter Gordon Edes writes that the San Francisco Giants and the Mariners are interested in making a deal and it could depend on who has the better prospects to deal in a trade. Edes writes that the Mariners have been thinking about a potential package including Brandon Maurer, while the Giants have some players they could send over as well.
Kemp has been stuck in a logjam of outfielders in LA and he could be the odd man out once Carl Crawford comes back, as Andre Ethier and Yasiel Puig have played better than he has. The Mariners were also linked to Kemp in the offseason and those talks could pick up as the team goes on. Viciedo is an intriguing option, as he is just 25 years old and he comes in hitting over .250 with 10 home runs and 31 RBIs and that is solid enough power for the Mariners. The team likely would have to give up Maurer, who has just moved into the bullpen and has been fantastic as a reliever.
