Wow, what a trade deadline!

We saw big names changing teams. The price of impact bullpen help was astounding. So too was the price for players with years of control. Some clubs were willing to surrender top prospects, while others refused to part with future assets.

Jays’ general manager Ross Atkins was active and improved the club. He didn’t acquire any premium talent, but neither did the Yankees, Red Sox or Rays.

Atkins improved the bullpen with the trade for Seranthony Dominguez from the Baltimore Orioles and Louis Varland from the Minnesota Twins. Both have big arms with fastballs in the upper 90s and get swing-and-miss with their arsenal. That is critical in the game today. The best teams in baseball make more contact than average, so strikeouts matter.

Dominguez is a free agent at the end of the season, so, he is a rental. Varland, however, is under control through the 2030 season. At 27 years old, that is a real value as he could be a bullpen solution for several years.

Toronto’s bullpen is improved, although not as much as it could have been if Atkins had acquired Jhoan Duran from the Twins, Ryan Helsley from the Cardinals or Mason Miller from the Athletics.

Duran went to the Phillies, Helsley went to the Mets, and Miller went to the Padres. The prices for the Big Three were significant and likely beyond the depth of the Jays’ farm system. I would have preferred a ninth-inning option for Toronto to push closer Jeff Hoffman to the eighth inning, but that wasn’t likely realistic.

Shane Bieber Cleveland Guardians

I’m a big fan of Shane Bieber, who came over in a deal from the Cleveland Guardians. Bieber won the American League Cy Young Award in 2020. When healthy, he has been a very effective, and at times, a dominating starter.

Bieber is recovering from having Tommy John surgery in April of 2024. He has made four........

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