(This is my way of coping with the loss. On to 2026 I suppose.)

Here’s Andrew Heaney’s performance bonuses, according to @spotrac.com:

Jax is elite, a lot of the bad overall numbers this year was due to a few unlucky blow-up outings back in April (7.50 ERA, 2.51 FIP in the month). He has a 2.30 ERA (1.69 FIP) since the start of May.

Maybe Jhoan Duran or Griffin Jax?

Thank you for reading, and don't forget to share by reposting the start of the thread!

Therefore, the trade would be Willi Castro ($4.3M SV) for Johnny King and Eddinson Paulino ($5.5M SV). It's a mild overpay for the Jays, possibly a large overpay depending on how you feel about the prospects, but you have to give something to get something, and this is a fair deal for both sides.

Paulino was acquired by the Jays at last year's deadline from the Red Sox for Danny Jansen, and this year he's been an average bat (105 wRC+) and has played all over the infield while being just 22 in AA. He projects as a utility player like Castro, but one that's better against RHP than LHP.

King was the Jays' 3rd round pick last year, and he's been elite in his pro debut. In 24 IP in the FCL he has a 1.13 ERA and a 1.55 FIP at 18 years old, and is already in Single-A. He reminds me a lot of former top prospect Kyle Harrison, but since King is far away from MLB, anything can happen.

After looking through the Jays' farm system, here's the two I picked:

1. Johnny King - 40+ FV LHP ($3.3M SV)
2. Eddinson Paulino - 40 FV LHB ($2.2M SV)

Recently, @lancebroz.bsky.social posted a video on realistic trade packages, where he explained in-depth how teams value players. Using his methodology, Castro is worth about $4.3M in surplus value. Since the Jays will have to overpay, two prospects in the 40-45 FV tier should be more than enough.

With Willi Castro in the lineup for Nathan Lukes, the Jays become one of the best in baseball vs LHP:

So, what would it take to acquire Willi Castro in a trade?

His .330 xwOBA on the year is about average, but he has large platoon splits: it's a .310 xwOBA vs RHP and a .380 xwOBA vs LHP. This is due to a large difference in bat speed; as a lefty he has a 70.3 mph bat speed, but as a righty that jumps up to 74.0 mph.

There's a player on the market that fits all of those needs: Willi Castro. Castro is a switch-hitting utility player on the sub-.500 Twins. He's on an expiring contract, so he'll be available. He even wore the trans pride flag as face paint during Pride month. What's there not to love?

This lineup is good, but there's still a few holes. Giménez, Lukes, and Schneider are all below average vs LHP, Lukes being the worst of the bunch. An upgrade doesn't have to be at LF since Schneider can play there, but someone that can play 2B, LF, and/or RF (moving Springer to DH) would be a plus.

All of a sudden, the lineup goes from one of the best in baseball to one that's below average. A lot of this can be solved internally, with a few platoon substitutions (Clement for Barger, Straw for Varsho, Schneider for Wagner), which can take it from below average to above average:

Now, let's look at the same lineup vs LHP:

This lineup is elite. As a team, the Jays have a .343 xwOBA vs RHP, which is 5th in all of baseball, only behind the Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, and Cubs. Every hitter in the lineup is either average or better vs RHP, and 6 hitters have an xwOBA of .350 or better. Evidently, there's no issues here.