Now that we are about two-thirds of the way into the season, it’s time to take another look at how the Blue Jays’ new acquisitions have been doing this year. There have been some changes to the roster since my original post, namely trades due to the Jays’ poor performance this season (51-60, 26.5 games behind the first-place Boston Red Sox).
John Axford (RP, 2017 team – OAK): 4-1; 45 G, 51.0 IP; 3.86 ERA; 0/1 SV; 1.255 WHIP; 8.8 SO9
Axford was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers before the July 31 non-waiver deadline. The line above does not include his numbers with his new team.
Tyler Clippard (RP, 2017 teams – CHW, HOU): 4-3; 54 G; 51.2 IP; 4.01 ERA; 7/13 SV; 1.200 WHIP; 10.5 SO9
Jaime GarcÃa (SP, 2017 teams – MIN, NYY): 2-6; 18 G; 68.2 IP; 6.42 ERA; 1.631 WHIP; 8.1 SO9
Seunghwan Oh (RP, 2017 team – STL): 4-3; 48 G; 47.0 IP; 2.68 ERA; 1.000 WHIP; 10.5 SO9
Oh was traded to the Colorado Rockies before the July 31 non-waiver deadline. The line above does not include his numbers with his new team.
Yangervis Solarte (INF, 2017 team – SDP): 106 G; 453 PA; .261/.320/.416; 17 HR; 53 RBI
Aledmys DÃaz (INF, 2017 team – STL): 81 G; 283 PA; .275/.324/.458; 13 HR; 32 RBI
Gift Ngoepe (INF, 2017 team – PIT): 13 G; 19 PA; .056/.105/.161; 0 HR; 0 RBI
Ngoepe failed to produce and was optioned to the minors in favor of prospect INF Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. in late April.
Curtis Granderson (OF, 2017 teams – NYM, LAD): 89 G; 307 PA; .234/.333/.419; 10 HR; 31 RBI
Randal Grichuk (OF, 2017 team – STL): 78 G; 286 PA; .235/.297/.469; 14 HR; 36 RBI
Relievers Axford and Oh put together good seasons with the Jays, which earned them trades to NL hopefuls. Clippard has so far remained in Toronto. Although his overall numbers are not terrible, he has 6 blown saves after taking over closer duties from former Jays RP Roberto Osuna, who was arrested for assault in May and later given a 75-game suspension for violating the MLB domestic violence policy. Clippard served as an “opener” for the Jays on August 2, starting a planned bullpen game against the Seattle Mariners. He gave up 2 runs on 3 hits in 1.0 IP, and the Jays went on to win by a score of 7-3.
SP Jaime GarcÃa has dealt with shoulder injuries earlier this year. He is back on the active roster and has been moved to the bullpen but is still struggling with ERA inflammation.
None of the Jays position player acquisitions have been everyday players other than INF Yangervis Solarte, who has also made the most significant offensive contributions. Although he has hit for less power this year, OF Curtis Granderson is a fan favorite and has improved on his overall 2017 slash line of .212/.323/.452. OF Randal Grichuk had a slow start for the season but has since picked things up, posting numbers similar to his 2017 season with St. Louis.
The Blue Jays return home from Seattle on Tuesday and will face the first-place Boston Red Sox at 7:07 PM. Support the site by buying your tickets from SeatGeek!