Lexi Thompson-Imagn Pictures
Some transactions are epic sagas that unfold over weeks or months, whereas others are compact little one-act performs which are over and finished with in a day.
On Tuesday, the Blue Jays misplaced Recreation 1 of a doubleheader to the Orioles by a rating of 16-4. Chad Inexperiencedthe crew’s second-most costly reliever, surrendered 4 of these runs in a single inning, bringing his ERA to five.56 and his house run complete to 14 in simply 43 2/3 innings. Earlier than Recreation 2, the Blue Jays DFA’d Inexperienced and traded for Orioles right-hander Seranthony Domínguezan unused substitute in Recreation 1.
Reducing ties with Inexperienced, who makes $10.5 million this yr, will probably be costly, however the Blue Jays did save a couple of hundred bucks on airfare by buying and selling for a man who was already within the constructing.
On this odd, probably sleepy deadline season, “We’d like bullpen assist” has changed into an all-timer of a cliché. It’s true as a result of each crew on the planet might use no less than another good reliever, but in addition as a result of bullpen assist appears to make up the majority of the commerce menu this season. I feel I’m going to begin utilizing that as an excuse to blow off plans. “Sorry, I can’t come to your open mic evening, I’m on the lookout for bullpen assist.”
Toronto’s bullpen assist was purported to be Inexperienced, who signed a three-year, $23.25 million contract with the Blue Jays earlier than the 2023 season. In seven seasons with the Yankees, Inexperienced had been a helpful innings-eater at worst, and at instances he was a multi-inning high-leverage weapon. In 2021, for example, Inexperienced struck out 99 batters in 83 2/3 innings, successful 10 video games and saving six extra.
He signed with the Jays whereas nonetheless recovering from Tommy John surgical procedure, which restricted him to 12 appearances in 2023, and hasn’t fairly discovered his schwerve since. The tip outcome has been this regrettable, absurdly homer-prone 2025 marketing campaign.
On the entire, Toronto’s bullpen is third within the league in WPA this yr, however simply tenth in ERA-. Nearer Jeff Hoffman has been terrific, although he has a pair nasty postseason blowups in his previous. Yariel Rodríguez has minimize down on his walks since shifting to the bullpen, although his 2.25 ERA is buoyed by the fourth-lowest BABIP and fifth-highest strand price amongst 170 certified relievers throughout the majors.
Braydon Fisher has been good in medium leverage; Brendon Little fingers out extra free passes than a failing amusement park, however he’s left-handed and has a strikeout price of 34.8%, and what number of of these guys are there in baseball?
Anyway, that is an OK bullpen, and also you don’t wish to go into the postseason with an OK bullpen.
Domínguez helps insofar as he’s a tough thrower with expertise in nearly each high-leverage aid position there’s. And a variety of that have has come within the playoffs; he’s participated previously three postseasons and put up actually gaudy numbers: 27 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings, with simply 13 hits (11 singles and two doubles), 4 walks, and two earned runs allowed.
There’s not a single energetic reliever with a greater profession postseason ERA than Domínguez in additional innings. He’s one scoreless inning from passing Jonathan Papelbon on the profession playoff ERA leaderboard, and two scoreless innings from overtaking Andrew Miller. (I might go on about how Domínguez’s solely dangerous playoff outing ever got here in a torrential downpour wherein he couldn’t grip the ball, however I don’t wish to pour it on too thick.)
With that stated, Domínguez isn’t the silver bullet. To not put too advantageous a degree on it, however we all know this as a result of the Phillies dumped him finally yr’s deadline to clear wage and herald Austin Hays. Hardly a ringing endorsement.
Now, this season, Domínguez has fully remade his pitch combine in 2025. He used to throw a tough horizontal slider with a good tougher four-seamer and sinker, making him essentially the most archetypal homegrown Phillies pitcher you can conjure up. (Due respect to Nick Foles, the true Philly Particular is very large sinker velocity.)
This yr, Domínguez has reverted to the four-seamer as his dominant fastball, although he nonetheless throws the sinker. He’s loosened up his slider right into a sweeper that he throws completely to righties and ditched his seldom-used changeup in favor of a splitter that he’s now throwing 17.4% of the time general and 29.6% of the time to lefties.
It is a actually hateful splitter with a triple-digit spin price; lefties have seen 101 of them this season they usually’ve hit it for additional bases as soon as whereas whiffing greater than half the time. Domínguez has additionally launched a curveball to be used towards lefties; it’s the primary pitch he’s thrown in his almost decade-long main league profession with a mean velocity under 86.0 mph.
The disadvantage is a prolific enlargement in stroll price. Domínguez is working his highest Ok% since his rookie yr (30.9%), however he’s additionally strolling 13.7% of opponents. That’s not solely a profession excessive, nevertheless it’s additionally the sixth-highest stroll price amongst certified relievers. Mix that excessive TTO tendency with pedestrian contact suppression numbers and also you’ve acquired a rental reliever with a 3.24 ERA.
For the privilege of summoning Domínguez from the alternative clubhouse, the Jays surrendered Juaron Watts-Browna 23-year-old right-handed pitcher out of Oklahoma State who’s cut up this season between Excessive-A and Double-A, with fairly good outcomes: 3.54 ERA, 3.11 FIP, 30.5% strikeout price in 89 innings over 19 begins.
Our prospect impresario, Eric Longenhagen, dropped Watts-Brown into the no. 35 spot in Baltimore’s organizational prospect rating. I wouldn’t get too discouraged by that large quantity; this was a very good system anyway, and it’s now turgid with prospects after Baltimore dropped within the merchandise of the most costly draft class in baseball historical past. Eric’s 40 FV grade says extra about Watts-Brown than his ordinal rating.
Watts-Brown has began each recreation of his skilled profession, however he nonetheless has sturdy reliever markings. He pitches from the stretch always, and despite the fact that he sits 93-94 and may hit 98 as a starter, the fastball performs down and he struggles to command it; see his personal double-digit stroll price. However, Watts-Brown has used his plus slider to carve hitters up within the decrease and center rungs of the minors. The breaking ball is nice sufficient that he is usually a helpful large leaguer, however he’ll in all probability find yourself within the bullpen (maybe as a multi-inning man) finally.
Domínguez is the second hard-throwing reliever the Orioles have traded previously 5 days, after Gregory Soto. That makes for a handy level of reference; Domínguez and Soto are each free brokers on the finish of the yr, they’re the identical age and have comparable top-line stats. Domínguez makes $8 million this season, in comparison with a bit of over $5.3 million for Soto, however I don’t suppose the Blue Jays are sweating a prorated third of that quantity. I do know the Mets aren’t.
So with all that stated, I feel Toronto acquired a greater pitcher than the Mets did, and gave up lots much less to get him. The premium on Soto being left-handed in all probability explains the majority of the discrepancy in prospect value (assuming the Orioles have an analogous view of their prospects to what Eric has written up); even factoring that in, together with my considerations about Domínguez’s stroll price, the Blue Jays acquired a stable medium-leverage reliever whose stuff has an opportunity to play up in October in trade for an unremarkable minor league pitcher.
Toronto will in all probability be eyeing one other improve or two earlier than Thursday, however it is a good piece of enterprise.
