Blue Jays and Pirates emerging as potential trade partners at the deadline

With six days left before the trade deadline, Toronto and Pittsburgh are discussing a deal for two starting pitchers

The suddenly surging Toronto Blue Jays are in desperate need of starting pitching. The struggling Pittsburgh Pirates have pieces to sell before Monday’s trade deadline. Both front offices have connections that go back more than 20 years. So it’s no surprise that the Blue Jays and Pirates are actively engaged in trade talks.

The two pitchers being discussed, according to MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi, are Trevor Williams and Chad Kuhl. Williams is just 1-4 on the season for the lowly Pirates but has a 2.81 ERA over his last three starts. Kuhl, working his way back from elbow surgery that kept him out all of 2019, opened the season in the bullpen before being inserted into the rotation. He’s made three starts for the Pirates with a 3.21 ERA while striking out a batter per inning. He’s given up just seven hits over 14 innings as a starter; opponents are hitting .146 against him, sixth-best among starting pitchers.

Both right-handers are under team control for another two years beyond 2020, making them especially attractive to clubs at the deadline. The Pirates currently sit in last place in the NL Central at 7-17 and are in a position to be sellers.

The Blue Jays, meanwhile, are headed in the opposite direction. Winners of seven of their last nine games, the Blue Jays are 14-13 and have a 62.1 percent chance of making the playoffs, according to Fangraphs. The only thing that can bring their sudden ascent to a halt is the perilous state of their pitching staff.

Trent Thornton was pulled from his start on Sunday after just one inning and placed on the IL with right shoulder inflammation. Matt Shoemaker is also on the IL with a lat strain and is considered week-to-week. Hard-throwing top prospect Nate Pearson experienced tightness in his right elbow in his last start and is seeking a second medical opinion on when he can return this season.

Three key pieces of their rotation are missing just as the Blue Jays are starting to make a serious push for the postseason. They still have Hyun-Jin Ryu, who has begun to round into form in his first season in Toronto; the left-hander, picked up in free agency during the offseason, has a 1.23 ERA over his last four starts.

Tanner Roark and Chase Anderson are the only other proven starters on the Blue Jays staff. The bullpen is capable of leading the club in the short-term; Blue Jays relief pitchers are fourth in the league in ERA, while their starters rank only 17th.

General manager Ross Atkins and president Mark Shapiro are clearly in the market for pitching help. Pittsburgh is an ideal place to start. Pirates GM Ben Cherington was the Blue Jays vice president of player development from 2016-19. Assistant GM Steve Sanders was the Blue Jays director of amateur scouting. Cherington first worked with Shapiro back in 1998 with the Cleveland Indians. The Blue Jays even discussed with the Pirates the possibility of playing their home games in Pittsburgh after the Canadian government denied them permission to play in Toronto.

The fit is there for both clubs. And with the deadline fast approaching, they have the next six days to work out the details.