MLB Trade Deadline: The ultimate 30-team trade
23. Toronto Blue Jays
Another team rumored to be interested in Dee Gordon, the Toronto Blue Jays would surely settle for an opportunity to acquire Ozuna. A 26-year-old two-time All-Star, Ozuna is hitting .315/.371/.552 with 23 home runs and 72 RBI in 97 games. Primarily a left fielder, Ozuna would slide right in to left in Toronto, though he is also capable of playing center field and right field, and has played all three throughout his five-year career.
The move for Ozuna would serve two purposes for the Blue Jays. Because Toronto is 6.5 games back in the AL Wild Card race, the odds of making it back to the postseason are slim, but not impossible. Therefore, adding another power bat to the lineup to help fill the void left when Edwin Encarnacion left when he signed with Cleveland over the winter. And, since he’s controllable through 2019, Ozuna would be a key member of the lineup for at least the next two years, helping the Blue Jays avoid a full roster teardown and rebuild and instead gearing up to compete in the AL East in 2018 and beyond.
In addition to the deal for Ozuna, the Blue Jays would send lefty Francisco Liriano to the Chicago Cubs. Liriano has struggled this year, but caught fire for the Blue Jays down the stretch in 2016 after a trade deadline deal with Pittsburgh.
Toronto would be inclined to give the 33-year-old impending free agent away for a player to be named later, and the Cubs would simply pass on the PTBNL later as part of a later deal with the Tigers. Liriano would likely pitch in long relief at first, but would add depth to the Chicago rotation and could be a weapon against lefties down the stretch.