MLB Trade Grades: Blue Jays dump Randal Grichuk in bizarre deal with Rockies

The Toronto Blue Jays traded Randal Grichuk to the Colorado Rockies, where he will proceed to hit 40 home runs at Coors Field. It’s just the way of the world.

By getting rid of Grichuk’s contract, the Blue Jays could open the door to another free agent move, which might be the purpose of a trade that otherwise looks odd on paper.

In 2019, the Blue Jays signed Grichuk to a five-year, $52 million contract that seemed odd at the time. While Grichuk was coming off a career-best power surge, he hasn’t been able to replicate those numbers since and still struggles to get on base. While his defense helps offset that somewhat, he’s a below-average offensive player and therefore is tough to justify as an everyday outfielder at times.

Here are the full terms of said trade:

MLB trade grade: Who won Randal Grichuk deal?

Grichuk has a .242/.286/.448 batting line since he signed his contract, and he has a few years left. The Blue Jays prefer not to be on the hook for that either way, but especially if they intend on adding more talent to the major-league roster.

Michael Conforto remains an option on the free-agent market. Could a contract offer from the Blue Jays be on the horizon? At the very least, Toronto now has that option if they weren’t previously comfortable.

Blue Jays grade: B

For the Rockies, I’m a little confused. Such has been the case of Colorado’s offseason, including the blockbuster signing of Kris Bryant. Sure, Bryant will put butts in the seats, but other than that what’s the purpose? Are the Rockies trying to win?

Grichuk likely won’t help much in terms of the standings, but maybe the front office in Colorado knows something we don’t. A resurgence isn’t totally out of the question, and as previously mentioned, Grichuk is a solid defender in the outfield. If the Blue Jays paid almost all of his contract — or even a solid portion of it for this season — then the Rockies get a free season of Grichuk

Rockies grade: C