MLB Trade Deadline: 5 trades Blue Jays should make

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Jul 7, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Rich Hill (18) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Rich Hill

Rich Hill may be a tough sell to a Blue Jay fan base when it comes to him replacing Aaron Sanchez’s innings. That is because Hill is a former reliever and has not thrown for 100 MLB innings in one season since 2007. In addition, he now has a blister that has lingered for about two weeks and has made him ineffective as a pitcher. It can be questioned, why would they sign a guy with durability issues to save a guy from having durability issues? To me, this says that Hill’s value may be going down, and a rental having this good of a year could end up being a bargain.

Hill is posting a 2.25 ERA this season. All of his peripherals match his production and he looks to be a legitimate stud this season. He is 36-years old and is a free agent at the end of this season. Hill is the classic case of juicing the orange and getting the last drops of pitching out of him this year.

The Blue Jays can even ease him in and have him and Sanchez shuffle starts around the schedule to make things easier. As the playoffs get closer the Jays now have another veteran who can help hold down the rotation if Sanchez or Estrada are to hit their expected decline.

The A’s know that they are playing with house money with Hill. They signed him on a whim and got lucky with his production. For them to reclaim anything, especially now with his finger injury has to be looked at as a positive return on investment.

Next: 4. Brandon Kintzler

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