Getting a 3 is a waste of time IMO
please define competent pickup that is actually better than what we currently have in the rotation
We've said the same about prospects in the past. Some work out some don't. If we are trading one of the young pitchers we need to make sure we don't trade the one that develops into a legit #1. Easier said than done.
Hutchison before TJ was looked at as our best prospect i recall and an ace in the making. Now i don't see too many people making that claim any more.
If we can get a young enough controllable #1-2 i think you make the move. We have a limited amount of time left before Bautista and co are old and decrepit.
Yeah, they need to upgrade. Even if they get an Ace, the probably still need another starter.
Truth is, with Sanchez coming back, if he can step right back in and be counted on (which I think he can), we're not in that dire shape. Adding another #2 or #3 and pushing Estrada to the bullpen would be fine by me. Not like we're clear favorites to win by adding a stud #1 instead of a #2.
In the AL, i think we might be if we add the stud.
Do people really fear KC, HOU and LAA?
Us? We have 3 relievers that have been worth a **** (to a contending club) this season (Osuna, Hendricks, Loup) and 2 starters who are projectable members of an October 4 man staff (one of which has been wildly 'unlucky' this year). Yes, we have an awesome offence, but we've almost been worst case scenario with our pitching staff and need 4-5 bodies in to fix that. We're not just a Cueto away from being the best in the AL, ****, we're not even a Cueto away from being as good as the 3 teams you dismiss so easily.
Won't argue with the other guys, but I'd say given the Jays offense, the pitching isn't as far as you think. The bullpen to me needs one arm to solidify it and move everyone else down a spot. Even guys like Schultz and Tepera have done well in small work, and getting a new guy in can help put Loup and Cecil back in spots where they can be more special. Heck, if you add guys to the rotation and then move a Hutchison or Sanchez to the pen, they may not even need a guy to fill in.
But the starting staff? Yeah, that needs work. Buerhle has been a rock again, and Estrada has looked great, but that really can't last. Dickey and Hutch have been pretty brutal, and we don't even have a 5th starter right now. We definitely need 2 guys that fill a regular rotation spot.
So to me, at the absolute minimum we need to add one guy who we can trust more than Dickey, Hutch, and the kids to just give us 5 or 6 innings with regularity. In a realistic ideal world we add a Cueto (top arm), a Leake (reliable bottom rotation guy), and a vet late inning guy (Papelbon/Chapman). I don't think more than that is really worth the cost. Add 3 guys, which certainly isn't cheap, and no, we're not the top pitching team, but with the bats flying as they are, that pitching staff should be good enough to take the division and potentially do some damage in the playoffs.
Won't argue with the other guys, but I'd say given the Jays offense, the pitching isn't as far as you think. The bullpen to me needs one arm to solidify it and move everyone else down a spot. Even guys like Schultz and Tepera have done well in small work, and getting a new guy in can help put Loup and Cecil back in spots where they can be more special. Heck, if you add guys to the rotation and then move a Hutchison or Sanchez to the pen, they may not even need a guy to fill in.
But the starting staff? Yeah, that needs work. Buerhle has been a rock again, and Estrada has looked great, but that really can't last. Dickey and Hutch have been pretty brutal, and we don't even have a 5th starter right now. We definitely need 2 guys that fill a regular rotation spot.
So to me, at the absolute minimum we need to add one guy who we can trust more than Dickey, Hutch, and the kids to just give us 5 or 6 innings with regularity. In a realistic ideal world we add a Cueto (top arm), a Leake (reliable bottom rotation guy), and a vet late inning guy (Papelbon/Chapman). I don't think more than that is really worth the cost. Add 3 guys, which certainly isn't cheap, and no, we're not the top pitching team, but with the bats flying as they are, that pitching staff should be good enough to take the division and potentially do some damage in the playoffs.