Many think that the Blue Jays should be sellers at this deadline and not buyers. But not when Alex Anthopoulos is your general manager. I believe not a single member of the bullpen will get moved at the deadline (For more, read my previous post Relieved by the Deadline?) The only pieces I can see being moved are names like Patterson and maybe Encarnacion. However, late last night Ken Rosenthal reported that the Blue Jays might have asked the Padres about Heath Bell. Now if memory serves me correct, anytime a reported has suggested a rumour about the Blue Jays, it turned out to be false. But let’s assume this one is true, would this make sense for the Blue Jays? What would it take to acquire Bell?
I would like to keep this post short and sweet; so one name I propose is Brad Mills. Brad Mills is a ‘prospect’ pitching for AAA Las Vegas 51s, and is doing a good job at it considering his numbers in the hitter-friendly PCL. Mills has great control, but is not gifted with a great arm. A trade to San Diego means he would be pitching in a pitcher-friendly park. But what’s in it for the Blue Jays?
Well they get a legitimate closer for the remaining of the year and can use the three extra months to negotiate with Bell. If he decides to test the market at the end of the year, the Blue Jays can collect a supplemental pick along with a second round pick for him. In a nutshell, this means Anthopoulos traded a fringe prospect in Brad Mills for two young studs of his choosing from the 2012 MLB draft. To put things into perspective, they picked up Jacob Anderson and Daniel Norris for the departing Scott Downs last year with similar picks. I would take one of Jacob Anderson or Daniel Norris alone for Brad Mills. To me, this seems a way Alex Anthopoulos would be thinking and trying to improve this team and strengthen the minor league system.
Feel free to chime in and share your thoughts, I can be reached at salamathematician@gmail.com and followed at @ShakeelSalamath on twitter.
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