The acquisition of Melvin Upton Jr. from the San Diego Padres for minor league pitcher Hansel Rodriguez falls along the lines of “tinkering around the edges,” but it might have a few residual benefits for the Toronto Blue Jays as they try to outlast the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East.
Upton has quietly enjoyed a nice comeback season in San Diego, with a .256/.304/.439 slash line, 16 homers and 20 stolen bases. The Blue Jays only have 32 stolen bases as a team, so Upton brings a welcome dose of speed to the lineup. He also fares well on the defensive metrics, with nine Defensive Runs Saved in left field. Among MLB left fielders, only Starling Marte and Adam Duvall have more this season.
Upton has enough holes in his swing to make him vulnerable against high-end pitching, and it remains to be seen what kind of at-bats he'll give the Jays in the heat of a pennant race. But he gives manager John Gibbons an opportunity to rest Jose Bautista (or just use Joey Bats at DH more often), and he'll fit nicely as a late-inning defensive replacement.
The Upton acquisition also appears to be a hedge against some roster attrition this winter, when fellow outfielders Michael Saunders and Bautista hit the free-agent market. Rogers Centre has been kind to many hitters in recent years, and Upton will have plenty of incentive to maintain the success he enjoyed this season during his free-agent "walk year" in 2017.
The Padres are paying all but $5 million of the $22 million left on Upton's contract through the 2017 season, so they had a right to ask for more than a throw-in prospect in return. Rodriguez, who received a $330,000 signing bonus out of the Dominican Republic in 2014, ranked 18th on Baseball America's list of Toronto's top 30 prospects this season. He's 19 years old and pitching for Bluefield in the Appalachian League, so he's a long ways away. The Padres have plenty of time to let him develop.
One item still reigns supreme on the Jays' housekeeping agenda: They need to determine how many innings they can squeeze out of Aaron Sanchez in the rotation, then adjust accordingly by moving him to the bullpen. As one club official said, "It's going to happen eventually. We just have to figure out when."
While they sort out their pitching, the Blue Jays have added Upton to their outfield. The Jays are going for it this year, and they're betting that even minor acquisitions can help them achieve their goal of a deep run in October.