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Blue Jays land Liriano to bolster rotation
- Updated: August 2, 2016
HOUSTON — The Blue Jays have been saying all year that Aaron Sanchez was going to the bullpen. Now they have the pieces in place to make that move a reality.
Toronto acquired a trio of pitchers in three separate deals prior to Monday’s non-waiver Trade Deadline. The Blue Jays received veteran lefty Francisco Liriano from the Pirates, right-hander Scott Feldman from the Astros and right-hander Mike Bolsinger from the Dodgers.
The trades can all be traced back to the plan for Sanchez, who became one of the top starters in the American League this year. The Blue Jays seemed to waver at times but for the most part maintained Sanchez would end up in the bullpen because of an undisclosed innings limit, and while the timing still needs to be worked out, that move is about to happen.
“We didn’t know this was concrete, but what we did decide, before the Deadline, we felt like the best chance for us to win a World Series was if Sanchez was a part of the team,” Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said. “We felt like the best odds of Aaron Sanchez being a part of the team was, at some point, transition to the bullpen. With that in mind, we considered alternatives and now we have the option to do that.”
Toronto traded last year’s Opening Day starter, Drew Hutchison, to the Pirates for Liriano alongside prospects Reese McGuire and Harold Ramirez. McGuire is a 21-year-old catcher in Double-A and was ranked Pittsburgh’s No. 8 prospect by MLBPipeline.com. Ramirez was ranked No. 9 on that list and is a 21-year-old outfielder in Double-A.
Liriano will …
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