DETROIT -- A year ago, these were the bad days.
Granted, there’s nothing good about trudging through an ugly, humid 11-4 loss that asked far too much of the bullpen -- particularly after a scary moment in the ninth when George Springer was hit in the head by a 96-mph pitch -- but walking the halls of Oriole Park at Camden Yards still brings back every messy memory from the 2024 Trade Deadline. Oh, how the times have changed.
Last year, the Blue Jays spent this series in Baltimore rattling off deals -- they made eight in total at the Deadline -- and the tunnels that run in and out of the visiting clubhouse looked like an airport. In one direction, a steady stream of veterans and longtime Blue Jays walking out those doors for the last time. In the other, fresh faces and a few too many opportunities to quietly ask someone, “Who’s that guy?”
Even after a couple of tough losses to the Tigers and Orioles, the Blue Jays sit atop the American League and will end the night tied for the most wins in baseball at 63-44. They’re not just classic “buyers,” they’re an organization capable of stealing every headline at the Deadline.
“Sitting in this exact chair last year was not fun,” manager John Schneider said. “Either way, you know what you’re doing and it’s pretty clear-cut whether it’s buying or selling, but it’s way more fun this year than it was last year. Everyone knew the reality of it, but it was still a little tense. You never want to be in that spot.”
Those three days here last year were heavy. That tension Schneider mentioned was real, because everyone knew what was happening but you didn’t always want to say it out loud. The Blue Jays’ travel and clubhouse staffers were the busiest people in Baltimore.
“It was kind of a mess. Guys were afraid to walk by the office, some of them,” Schneider remembered. “There were a lot of moving parts, a lot of phone calls, a lot of texts, a lot of FaceTime calls. There were a couple days where you couldn’t leave your phone, which I hate. I like leaving it sometimes. There were just a lot of moving parts. I think we traded Justin Turner during a game, too. It was just a lot.”
Being buyers isn’t stress-free, of course. There’s a human element to every Deadline, and while everyone involved wants the best shot at winning a World Series, a good clubhouse shares a bond beyond being coworkers. It sure beats the alternative, though.
“It’s better to be on this side than the other side, that’s for sure, when you think about how different this time of year was last year,” said Kevin Gausman, now in his 13th season. “We knew we were going to lose at least a couple of guys and we ended up losing six or seven. As a player, you try to get to the point where your team is one of the teams looking to add.”
The past two days have shined a brighter spotlight on the Blue Jays’ bullpen, which remains their most obvious need. Not helping matters was a rare, short outing from Chris Bassitt, who was chased after allowing six runs over just 2 1/3 innings on the eve of a scorching hot doubleheader.
“My mechanics were off. I could not throw any pitch where I wanted to throw it,” Bassitt said. “My cutter was basically non-existent, curveball was OK, sinker was all right. I just couldn’t locate my pitches.”
A frontline starter or right-handed power bat would fit just as well, but when you look at what’s available, the relief pitching market is far better stocked. Good teams have one closer. Great teams have two or three of them.
On Sunday, Chad Green and Justin Bruihl both ran into trouble trying to keep the game within reach. Monday, it was Brendon Little, the excellent lefty who isn’t going anywhere, but there’s clearly still room to raise both the ceiling and floor of this Blue Jays bullpen. They need a headliner -- a list led by Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Cade Smith, Ryan Helsley, David Bednar and others -- but some extra insulation in middle relief couldn’t hurt, either.
Over the next two days, those suitcases could start rolling back and forth again. This time, there should be a little more traffic going in, not out.