Toronto continues its season-long commitment to never leaving the trade machine alone, sending 1B Bob Hamelin, 3B Scott Cooper, and a 1998 third-round pick to the Milwaukee Creams for OF Mike Greenwell.
For Milwaukee, this one is beautifully simple: take Toronto’s stuff, collect a third-round pick, and move on with your life. Greenwell wasn’t likely to be retained at the end of the season anyway, so the Creams get a useful asset while making their first deal under new ownership.
That’s called rebuilding. Or, in Toronto’s case, that’s called something to put in the rearview mirror while they make another trade.
The Blue Jays, meanwhile, apparently smell blood in the water. After an offseason and season spent rearranging half the roster, Toronto now appears determined to chase down the New York Mets and make a run at the playoffs.
Enter Mike Greenwell.
Greenwell has put together a nice season, posting 2.6 WAR and playing well since arriving in Washington. Toronto presumably plans to stick him at DH, with the occasional cameo in left field when they feel like making things unnecessarily interesting.
He’s a veteran hitter, he can contribute right now, and apparently that’s all Toronto needs to justify yet another transaction.
This is the 13th trade Toronto has made this season.
At this point, the Blue Jays aren’t building a roster. They’re conducting a nationwide scavenger hunt and hoping a playoff team falls out of it.