Tampa Bay Rays ace Shane McClanahan has suffered another injury setback, delaying his season debut even further. McClanahan has been sidelined all season with a nerve-related issue in his triceps, and now, he has soreness in his biceps. The setback might be minor, but it might keep him out of action for a while. The uncertainty can, and presumably will, make it more likely that the Rays will be sellers at this year's trade deadline (and their recent play should nudge them in that direction even further). If the Rays head in that direction, the Toronto Blue Jays should be looking to make a deal with their division rivals.
It's far from a certainty that the Rays will sell, but they've struggled lately, have dropped to fourth place in the AL East and are now without their ace for who knows how long. It makes sense for them to entertain trading veterans away in exchange for younger talent.
Even without McClanahan, the Rays are flush with starting pitching depth. Guys like Ryan Pepiot and Drew Rasmussen probably won't be available, but there are several starters, including Taj Bradley, who presumably can be had. He's a pitcher the Jays should look to acquire.
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Blue Jays should take advantage of seller Rays
Bradley hasn't quite lived up to his top prospect status, but he's been a serviceable back-end starter for Tampa Bay. The right-hander has a 4.35 ERA in 20 starts and 109.2 innings of work this season for the Rays. That ERA might not light up the screen, but he's allowed three earned runs or fewer in 14 of his 20 appearances and he's gone at least five innings in all but four of his outings. For the most part, Bradley keeps his team in games and gives decent length. Those traits are valuable.
What sticks out even more about Bradley is that he's under club control through the 2029 season. That's valuable for any team, but for the Blue Jays in particular, acquiring a controllable starter would be huge.
Both Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer will be hitting free agency at the end of this season. Jose Berrios and Kevin Gausman can hit the open market as soon as the 2026 offseason. Alek Manoah is under club control through the 2027 campaign, and he's an open question at this point. There are exciting prospects like Trey Yesavage and Ricky Tiedemann in the pipeline, but there isn't much in terms of proven pitching beyond Bowden Francis who are sure to be part of the equation for the long haul.
Bradley will cost a lot to acquire, especially from a division rival, but if the Rays sell and if he's available, he'd be a worthwhile arm to target. He gives the back end of their rotation more certainty for this season and for the foreseeable future.