Blue Jays Trade Pitch Lands Former 17-Game Winner From Diamondbacks originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Don’t look now, but the Toronto Blue Jays are surging and erasing any thoughts that they’ll sell this trade deadline.
Toronto is 8-2 in June and 12-2 since May 28, clawing right back into the American League playoff hunt. In fact, the Blue Jays only trail the first-place New York Yankees by four games in the AL East.
As it stands, we expect the Blue Jays to buy ahead of the July 31 deadline—and at least one MLB insider believes the Jays could be far more aggressive than expected.
Longtime MLB executive Jim Bowden suggested the Blue Jays pursue one of two Arizona Diamondbacks starters: Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen. Although Bowden also mentioned Los Angeles Angels veteran Tyler Anderson as a potential option, he believes the Blue Jays “match up well” with the Diamondbacks.
It is unclear if the mediocre 34-34 Diamondbacks will sell this summer. Arizona is 6 1/2 games back in the NL West and 4 1/2 behind the NL’s third and final Wild Card spot.
As Bowden noted, though, Kelly and Gallen are impending free agents. The 29-year-old Gallen is only two years removed from a 17-win, 3.47 ERA campaign that netted him All-Star honors and a third-place Cy Young placement.
It’s been a rough go for Gallen this year, though. He enters the weekend owning a 5.15 ERA and 36 walks over 80 1/3 innings, and he’s only been worth 0.3 bWAR in 14 starts.
Although Gallen has impressed in the past, he’s been extremely inconsistent all season. Kelly, who turns 37 in October, is 6-2 with a 3.18 ERA and 2.2 bWAR across 82 innings.
Bowden said the Blue Jays have made it their “priority” to acquire a starting pitcher this summer. We’ll see if Toronto’s next playoff hero is indeed a veteran right-hander with three top-10 Cy Young finishes since 2020.
Related: Dodgers Trade Pitch Adds $37 Million Yankees Bust After Tony Gonsolin Injury
Related: Dodgers Predicted to Make Bold Shohei Ohtani Lineup Change After Potential Trade
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
