MLB Rumors: Blue Jays interested Ervin Santana
By Brad Weiss
The Toronto Blue Jays are looking for starting pitching at the trade deadline, and Ervin Santana appears to be on their list.
The American League East looks to be a division that will go down to the wire, as 1.5 games separate three teams. The Toronto Blue Jays are one of those teams, and they are looking to add starting pitching at the trade deadline. Minnesota Twins starter Ervin Santana may be just what the doctor ordered.
After Sunday’s games, the Baltimore Orioles are alone in first place in the AL East, though they lead the Blue Jays by only 0.5 games. The Blue Jays need starting pitching because their 24-year old phenom Aaron Sanchez is approaching his career-high innings threshold, and they may move him to the bullpen until playoff time.
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Picking up Santana would allow the Blue Jays to make that move and still be able to challenge for the division this year. The team already has a solid rotation with Sanchez, Marco Estrada, J.A. Happ, Marcus Stroman, and R.A. Dickey, so adding only one more arm makes sense.
Jon Morosi of the MLB Network tweeted out about the situation on Sunday:
#BlueJays continuing to pursue starting pitchers, 26 hours away from deadline. One name they're still discussing: Ervin Santana. @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 31, 2016
Santana has quietly put together a solid season for the Minnesota Twins, posting a 3.66 earned run average in 20 starts for the club in 2016. The team is at the bottom of the American League Central once again this year, and moving Santana for some prospects would at least give their farm system a boost. They currently sit 17.5 games behind the Cleveland Indians, so a possible playoff run is definitely out of the question this year.
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The Blue Jays have the firepower on offense to make a serious run this season, and if they can lock up another arm, they should be able to contend for a playoff spot.
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