Alex Anthropolous is making a run at the brass ring and he continued to add to his already loaded lineup by acquiring relief pitcher Mark Lowe from the Seattle Mariners and Ben Revere from the Philadelphia Phillies. This came after acquiring Troy Tulowitzki from the Colorado Rockies and David Price from the Detroit Tigers. Clearly, they are trying to make a run at the AL East division or one of the wild cards at worse.

Why the Blue Jays make these trades

The Blue Jays have been seeking a top of the order bat for quite some time. Revere can also join a makeshift platoon in center field and left field for the Blue Jays. Mind you, his slash line isn’t that spectacular given his reputation in the game and the team’s desire for a leadoff hitter (.298/.334/.374). However, he should be another option that can be used along with Kevin Pillar, Danny Valencia, and Chris Colabello. He also has 24 steals on the season, so he gives the power packed lineup some speed. The Blue Jays are sending Jimmy Cordero and Alberto Tirado to the Phillies. Neither are hot prospects, but the Blue Jays do lose considerable depth when you put the two deals together.

The Blue Jays traded three prospects to get Mark Lowe. At first glance, such a package for a career journeyman seems excessive. However, Rob Rasmussen, Jake Brentz, and Nick Wells are not necessarily the cream of the crop in the Blue Jays system either. The move is a calculated risk in that Lowe’s (0-1, 1.00 ERA, 36.0 INN, 47 K) are not a mirage. We are talking about a pitcher with a career 3.80 ERA. If he is the first guy then the Blue Jays may have found another late inning reliever. If he is the second guy then they just got another average middle reliever.

Why the Mariners make this trade

They just got three prospects for a middle reliever. Even with the numbers he had this year, he was never a consideration for the ninth inning. So, nothing on the Mariners changes significantly and they managed to get five prospects for both Dustin Ackley and Mark Lowe. They get the best of both worlds. They get to keep their nucleus together and they get five prospects. Not bad.

Why the Phillies make this trade

Give Ruben Amaro Jr. some credit. He has now dealt his three most marketable pieces. He got a king’s ransom for Cole Hamels. He’s not getting that here. He is getting decent young relievers in Jimmy Cordero and Alberto Tirado. Tirado now rates as the Phillies number 15 prospect according to MLB.com.  Revere is under club control for another couple of seasons. He’s earning 4.1 million this season and is likely due for a significant raise. Amaro Jr. and company probably realize that he will never be the dynamic offensive player they thought they were getting when they acquired him from the Twins. Corner outfielders with career .671 OPSs aren’t hard to find.

What these trades mean for you

There probably is very little change for either of the players involved in this trade in fantasy terms. The Blue Jays are clearly going all in and when that happens players can sometimes see a bump in performance. However, there is very little that Lowe can do but go up. I can’t imagine them trusting him with the closer’s job, but crazier things have happened. Meanwhile, Revere almost certainly won’t get the same playing time he got in Philadelphia, but his percentage stats may improve in the process.