Blue Jays predicted to land $10 million Rockies All-Star in deadline surprise

The Major League Baseball trade deadline is shaping up to be a crazy one, and the Toronto Blue Jays are looking like buyers.

As the baseball world is still quaking from the seismic Rafael Devers trade to the San Francisco Giants, the Blue Jays' needs rest on the pitching side. Their lineup may not be perfect, but it's rounded into form in June.

One more starting pitcher could help complete the picture for the Blue Jays, after Max Scherzer got hurt to begin the year and Bowden Francis was unable to build on the momentum of his breakout second half in 2024.

Could Toronto land a former All-Star? Perhaps, but All-Stars sometimes come in the form of a Colorado Rockies pitcher with an ERA over six.

In a recent YouTube video, content creator Jim Riley predicted that the Blue Jays would trade for Rockies starter Germán Márquez, who is on an expiring contract with a $10 million salary this year.

"Give me the Toronto Blue Jays here," Riley said. "I do think they add to the rotation.

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"They don't necessarily need to go and add to the top of the rotation... but you don't know how much you're going to get from (Scherzer), which adds to the reason to go out and get somebody like Germán Márquez, who can add depth to that rotation."

Márquez, 30, owns a 6.62 ERA in 14 starts this season, striking out only 48 batters in 68 innings. But his FIP sits at 4.19, a testament to just how difficult it is to pitch at Coors Field, with a sizable assist from the Rockies' subpar defense.

An All-Star in 2021, Márquez has had some nice stretches in his 10-year career, all with the Rockies. If he can escape the altitude and harness some extra movement on his pitches, the sky could be the limit in the second half of the season.

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