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The Toronto Blue Jays announced Monday they have acquired relief pitcher Scott Feldman from the Houston Astros in return for minor league pitcher Guadalupe Chavez. 

Feldman is 5-3 with a 2.90 ERA in 26 games and five starts this season, as the Blue Jays add a versatile arm to their bullpen.  

The 18-year-old Chavez was the Blue Jays’ No. 20-ranked prospect, per MLB.com, and had been pitching in the Gulf Coast League, where he posted a 4-1 record with a 1.69 ERA, per MiLB.com. 

The acquisition of Feldman came shortly after the Blue Jays announced they dealt reliever Jesse Chavez to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday in exchange for pitcher Mike Bolsinger. It’s also almost a week after they traded Drew Storen to the Seattle Mariners for veteran Joaquin Benoit. 

Beginning the year as a starter, the Astros shifted Feldman to the bullpen after he started 0-2 with a 4.58 ERA in four outings. 

Upon moving to the pen, Feldman became a reliever who was able to appear anywhere from the middle innings to the eighth as a setup man. 

His best stretch of the season began in June when he went on an 11-appearance run in which he allowed a combined three runs while striking out 13. 

Feldman’s ERA sank to as low as 2.40, but an outing on Sunday against the Detroit Tigers saw him pelted for four runs while allowing two round-trippers in two innings of work. 

As the Blue Jays battle the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox for American League East supremacy, Feldman’s acquisition could allow the team to start cutting down on its usage of the less reliable relievers. 

Brett Cecil has an ERA over 4.50, so Feldman could be a solid candidate to take over his role in the bullpen. It will allow the likes of Joe Biagini, Jason Grilli and Benoit to come into more favorable situations while giving closer Roberto Osuna a better chance to finish games off. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Melvin Upton Jr.’s solid bounce-back season was enticing enough for the Toronto Blue Jays to acquire him from the San Diego Padres, Padres executive vice president and general manager A.J. Preller announced Tuesday.

“The San Diego Padres announced they have acquired right-handed pitcher Hansel Rodriguez from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. and cash considerations,” the press release read.

“Thank you to the Padres organization, fans and teammates for all the support and the opportunity,” Upton tweeted. “I enjoyed everything about my time in SD.”

“Im [sic] excited to join my new Blue Jays teammates today and can’t wait to help continue the winning tradition that’s been built here,” Upton added.

Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball reported the Padres will pay all but $5 million of Upton’s remaining salary.

According to Spotrac, the 31-year-old Upton is earning $15.45 million this season and will make $16.45 million next year before his contract expires at the end of the 2017 season.

Not long ago, Upton’s career looked like it might be over. He was still putting on a uniform, but he wasn’t doing anything to help his team.

Upton’s stint with the Atlanta Braves was especially difficult, as he amassed a negative-0.2 WAR during 2013 and 2014, per FanGraphs.

After the Braves dealt Upton to the Padres as part of the Craig Kimbrel trade in 2015, he turned things around. He hit a respectable .259/.327/.429, playing in just 87 games because of a foot injury that caused him to miss the first two months of the season.

Upton’s numbers haven’t completely returned to his peak years in Tampa Bay, but he’s hitting for more power this season with 16 homers and is showing good speed with 20 stolen bases.

Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs wrote July 6 that Upton’s performance this season makes him close to worth the salary he will make through 2017:

In the past year, Upton has clocked in with a 36% hard-hit rate, matching Jay Bruce and Andrew McCutchen. The Braves got burned. You do have to wonder how much another team would trust Upton, at this point. But he’s made himself appealing again, at least to some extent, and his contract extends through next year, when he’ll earn around $17 million. What’s crazy now is it’s not too hard to imagine Upton actually being worth that salary. All he’d have to be is something like an average outfielder, and lately he’s been clearing that bar.

Upton has managed to reinvent himself after it looked like all hope was lost. He still has some limitations to his game—his on-base percentage isn’t good (.304)—but he is making up for that by using his legs and pop.

There’s always the chance Upton could regress because his career arc has never followed any kind of consistent pattern. But he does have more than 170 games of solid performance since 2015 that suggest he’s going to hold good value until his contract expires.

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When Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion took Seattle Mariners pitcher Wade Miley deep in the fourth inning of Sunday’s series finale, he surpassed Vernon Wells for third place on the all-time franchise leaderboard for home runs, per ESPN Stats & Info.

With Wells now in the rear-view mirror, Encarnacion (224 home runs) only trails teammate Jose Bautista (255) and Carlos Delgado (336) for the most home runs in Blue Jays history.

Encarnacion and Bautista are both currently playing on the final year of their respective contracts, which could wind up concluding the career of one of the two in Toronto.

Neither of the two is necessarily headed out of town, but that will likely be decided in the offseason. However, the two have had vastly different contract seasons.

Bautista returned to action Monday after missing extended time due to a toe injury and has hit just .231 with 12 home runs over 66 games, while Encarnacion owns a .262 average with 27 long balls over 98 contests and was named to the American League’s All-Star team.

In addition to his home runs, Encarnacion has a league-leading 87 RBI heading into Tuesday’s game against the San Diego Padres. Assuming he continues at his current pace, the 33-year-old should near 40 home runs for a second straight year after finishing with 39 in 2015.

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The Toronto Blue Jays had high expectations for 2015 All-Star catcher Russell Martin this season, but he has been struggling offensively and now has an injured knee. It’s unclear when he will return.

Continue for updates.

Martin Out vs. Mariners

Saturday, July 23

The Blue Jays announced Josh Thole would start over Martin against the Seattle Mariners on Saturday.

Gibbons Comments on Martin’s Playing Status

Saturday, July 23

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons told reporters Martin was “feeling better” but would still be day-to-day.

On Friday, Gibbons announced Martin suffered a knee injury after falling in the shower, according to Hazel Mae of Sportsnet. He became lightheaded from spending too much time in the sauna Thursday before the fall.

Veteran Martin Crucial to Blue Jays Pitching, Offense

Martin was experiencing a late-career renaissance, finishing in the top 25 in MVP voting in the previous three seasons.

From 2013 to 2015, he posted the highest mark (50.0) for defensive runs above average among eligible catchers, and only Buster Posey (16.2) has posted more wins above replacement than Toronto’s backstop (12.5), per FanGraphs.

This year, however, has not been kind to Martin offensively. He’s hitting just .228/.317/.338 with seven home runs in 81 games after blasting 34 homers the previous two seasons combined.

Josh Thole has been Toronto’s primary backup catcher this season, offering superior defense to Martin, per FanGraphs. With Josh Donaldson and Edwin Encarnacion in the middle of the order, the Blue Jays lineup is loaded. They can withstand one dead spot.

Martin is starting to look like a 33-year-old catcher, so getting a few days off won’t derail the surging Jays.

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The Toronto Blue Jays and first baseman Justin Smoak came to terms on a two-year contract extension with an option for the 2019 campaign Saturday.

According to Barry Davis of Sportsnet, the deal will pay Smoak $4.125 million in each of the first two years, and the third-year option is worth $6 million. There is also a $250,000 buyout included in the pact.

The 29-year-old Smoak entered play Saturday hitting .234 with nine home runs and 23 RBI on the season.

The new contract prevents Smoak from hitting free agency during the offseason, per Chris Cotillo of SB Nation. 

Smoak served in a platoon role for the Jays at first base last season, but with Chris Colabello serving an 80-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s policy against performance-enhancing drugs, Smoak has been the primary starter.

The former first-round pick of the Texas Rangers hit 18 home runs and drove in a career-high 59 runs in 2015, but he hit just .226 and has a career batting average of .225 across seven seasons with the Rangers, Seattle Mariners and Blue Jays.

Smoak has a power bat and three seasons with 18 or more home runs to his credit, but his potential has long been capped due to his inconsistency in terms of getting on base.

Toronto boasts a power-laden lineup with Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki, but both Bautista and Encarnacion are set to become free agents during the offseason, according to Spotrac.com.

Smoak is nowhere close to being as complete as Bautista and Encarnacion are, but keeping him in the fold will allow the Jays to preserve some of their pop even if one or both of their key free agents decide to walk.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

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Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter and first baseman Edwin Encarnacion will play out the rest of the 2016 season without negotiating any further on a new contract.

Continue for updates.

Encarnacion’s Agent Comments on Contract Talks

Wednesday, July 13

Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball reported Wednesday what Encarnacion’s agent, Paul Kinzer, had to say on his client’s status:

Once the season started, we were not going to negotiate. He thought it was a distraction last time. He’s the most relaxed I’ve ever seen him. Why mess with the guy? He’s content. He’s happy. […] This doesn’t mean Toronto’s out. This was the plan all along. We were going to play this thing out.

Encarnacion has a slash line of .267/.358 /.541 to go with an MLB-leading 80 RBI and 23 homers. He earned his third All-Star bid this year and will be a free agent once the season ends.

This news has to come as relief to Toronto fans and especially the Blue Jays front office, which won’t have to worry about strong-arming Encarnacion in potentially pernicious negotiations after the All-Star break.

The Jays are neck-and-neck with the Boston Red Sox in the American League wild-card race, only two games up on the Houston Astros at the moment. They’re also just two games behind the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East.

As long as Encarnacion keeps up his level of play, he’s going to get a big payday this winter.

With a load of high-level talent around him and even a realistic chance of winning the AL pennant, Encarnacion is in a great situation and won’t be putting himself above the team.

Encarnacion seems to recognize how trying to get a deal done now would complicate matters amid high stakes and expectations as Toronto tries to secure a postseason berth. He needs to be fully locked in with slugger Jose Bautista on the disabled list.

If Josh Donaldson can maintain his own exceptional form (.304 average, 23 HR, 63 RBI) and Troy Tulowitzki keeps up his hot start to July (.357 average), the Blue Jays should be a tough to beat as the regular season winds down.

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A red-hot Troy Tulowitzki fitting into a red-hot lineup is just what the Toronto Blue Jays had in mind when they traded for him last July.

Almost a year later, they’re getting what they wished for.

The Blue Jays entered Thursday’s contest against the Detroit Tigers at the Rogers Centre in search of their sixth straight win. It seemed prepared to elude them, as Detroit was clinging to a 4-3 lead with two outs in the bottom of the eighth. But then Tulo happened, delivering a two-run single to propel the Blue Jays to a 5-4 win.

That single was the second of Tulo’s two hits on the day. With those in the bag, he’s now hitting .328 in 17 games since coming off the disabled list. He also has seven bombs in that span and, if you’re into such things, 20 RBI.

This is what a person who’s bad at being original would call a complete 180.

Tulowitzki’s batting average was under the Mendoza Line as recently as May 19, and he was hitting only .204 when a quad strain sent him to the DL. And over his first 373 (regular-season) plate appearances as a Blue Jay, he was hitting just .221 with a .685 OPS. After hitting .299 with an .885 OPS in parts of 10 seasons with the Colorado Rockies, the writing on the wall said the veteran shortstop was out of gas.

However, something happened while Tulo was out rehabbing his injury.

“I really think that I went down to Florida, it gave me a chance to work on my swing, get back to some good things that I did,” the 31-year-old told Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca. “I think I’ve carried that over. When confidence comes, you start having some success. I’m really just trying to be myself. I think this is really who I am.”

Tulowitzki got a big mechanical change out of the way earlier in the season, ditching a leg kick he had experimented with in spring training in favor of his usual toe tap. The difference since his return has more to do with his approach. It’s gotten more aggressive, but without getting out of control:

Based on that first column, it’s fair to say Tulo has come off the DL looking to swing his way out of his slump. Since it hasn’t cost him any contact or walks, it’s also fair to say it’s working.

The most important change, though, is reflected in the way Tulowitzki lined Thursday’s game-winning hit to the opposite field. Whereas his pre-DL Blue Jays self was trying to pull everything, his post-DL self is making an effort not to pull everything:

• Pre-DL: 52.1 Pull%
• Post-DL: 40.4 Pull%

The non-geeky summary: Tulo has snapped out of it and gone back to being a dangerous hitter. The fair warning based on the small sample size is that he probably won’t stay this hot indefinitely. But if he can maintain a role as a productive member of the Blue Jays lineup, they’ll take it.

After all, it’s not like they need Tulo to carry their offense.

Remember when the Blue Jays offense made all other offenses look like little league chumps last year? That level of dominance had trouble carrying over into 2016. Toronto managed just a .709 OPS and four runs per game in April, hardly numbers befitting a supposed super-duper offense.

It’s been a different story since then, and one that’s getting more impressive by the day. The Blue Jays scored 4.3 runs per game in May, then 5.9 in June. Early in July, they’re at 7.1 runs per game.

Tulo’s role in this shouldn’t be ignored, but neither should Josh Donaldson’s and Edwin Encarnacion’s.

Donaldson entered Thursday with a 1.234 OPS over his last 32 games, and two more hits against the Tigers upped his total OPS to 1.018. Nothing about that is an accident. As Dave Cameron of FanGraphs highlighted, the reigning American League MVP just keeps finding ways to get better.

Encarnacion has been hotter for even longer. He entered Thursday with a 1.110 OPS over 39 games dating back to late May. That’s come complete with 13 home runs.

With the big boppers bopping like it’s nobody’s boppin’ business, all the other guys have had to do is pull their weight. They’ve more than been up to the challenge. Michael Saunders has been hot all year. More recently, Russell Martin, Kevin Pillar and Devon Travis have added warm bats to the pile.

Arguably the scariest tidbit of all is who hasn’t been involved in Toronto’s surging offense. Jose Bautista has been out since June 16 with a bad toe. If he can come back and pick up where he left off (.815 OPS, 12 homers), the Blue Jays will pull off a baseball version of the rich getting richer.

In the immortal words of Dennis Green, these Blue Jays are who we thought they were.

They figured to resemble last year’s team, which was really good at scoring runs and good enough at run prevention. They’re only getting better at the former and just as good at the latter. After allowing 4.14 runs per game last year, this year’s Blue Jays are allowing 4.18 runs per game.

What it means for now is a 49-39 record and quite a bit of momentum. They’re only two games behind the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East, and the lead feels even smaller than that.

May the best birds win.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted/linked.

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Already lacking depth in the starting rotation, the Toronto Blue Jays will be without All-Star Marco Estrada for at least two weeks.  

Continue for updates. 

Estrada to 15-Day DL

Wednesday, July 6

Per Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star, the Blue Jays placed Estrada on the 15-day disabled list. Manager John Gibbons said Bo Schultz will likely be recalled ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Kansas City Royals, though Lott noted he “won’t arrive in time” to play. 

Toronto was initially hopeful that Estrada would be able to make his next start on Friday with Drew Hutchison likely taking the ball on Thursday, per Tony Ambrogio of TSN 1050. 

Estrada’s last start was on Saturday against the Cleveland Indians. He went five innings and allowed three runs on five hits with seven strikeouts. Two days later, per Mark Zwolinski of the Toronto Star, the right-hander received four shots to help with lingering back pain. 

The 33-year-old Estrada was named to the American League All-Star team on Tuesday thanks to a 2.93 ERA with 99 strikeouts and 64 hits allowed in 104.1 innings this season. 

However, with Estrada landing on the DL, he will be forced to sit out the Midsummer Classic. The Blue Jays will also have to make do without their best pitcher, though Aaron Sanchez’s rise in 2016 does give them another strong horse at the top.

Marcus Stroman is the key to Toronto’s rotation. He’s had a dreadful season with a 5.08 ERA and 118 hits allowed in 108 innings. The Blue Jays enter play Wednesday eight games over .500 without him pitching up to his usual standards. 

If Toronto can come out of the break with Estrada healthy and Stroman pitching close to his usual standards, this team will be lethal in the American League East. 

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Toronto Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion has been suspended one game for bumping an umpire in the first inning of Friday’s game against the Cleveland Indians, MLB announced Sunday.

Encarnacion will continue to play while he appeals the suspension. The 33-year-old designated hitter/first baseman was ejected by home plate umpire Vic Carapazza after arguing a called third strike. Manager John Gibbons and catcher Russell Martin were also thrown out after expressing frustration with Carapazza‘s calls.

Encarnacion took a 3-2 pitch from Josh Tomlin that appeared off the plate outside and began walking to first base as Carapazza rung him up. Angered by the call, Encarnacion threw his bat to the ground and said something to the umpire’s face before being tossed. He then charged in Carapazza‘s direction, bumping him slightly from behind.

Per Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com, Martin said afterward:

It’s tough as a player when the umpire makes a mistake, you say your piece about it and then you get thrown out for being right. It’s tough. I think umpires just need to sometimes take a deep breath and not flip the switch too quick.

Eddy didn’t really need to get thrown out in that situation either. Hopefully he gets talked to and the veteran umpires kind of tell him that there’s a certain way to do things, but we’ll see. It’s over so, can’t do anything now.

Making contact with an umpire is a near-automatic suspension within the MLB purview. James Loney, Joey Votto and David Ortiz each got one-game bans last season for similar actions. Bryce Harper landed a one-game suspension this season in part for hurling an expletive at an ump after being thrown out.

It would then seem unlikely that Encarnacion‘s appeal is successful. With another game against red-hot Cleveland coming Sunday and a series against the defending champion Kansas City Royals following, it’s possible he’s appealing to not miss an important upcoming game. He could drop the appeal and plan to serve the ban on a planned rest day or hold out and keep playing until the league office hears his case.

Encarnacion currently leads MLB in runs batted in (73) and is tied for fourth in home runs (22). The Jays (44-39) are battling for a playoff spot, so having him in the lineup against Kansas City (43-37) and Cleveland (49-31) is vital in what’s shaping up to be a close race.

But given precedent and the clear video evidence of Encarnacion bumping Carapazza, he’ll likely serve a ban at some point.

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Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Marco Estrada held the Arizona Diamondbacks to two hits over six innings in Tuesday’s 4-2 loss, becoming the first pitcher in MLB history to record 11 consecutive starts with six or more innings pitched and five or fewer hits allowed, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.

Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, the Diamondbacks still managed to score three runs (all earned) off of Estrada, who struck out eight batters and allowed three walks.

Diamondbacks catcher Chris Herrmann had an RBI single in the third inning, and outfielder Yasmany Tomas added a two-run homer in the fourth.

Estrada thus saw his record drop to 5-3 despite setting a rather obscure MLB record.

The Blue Jays won each of his previous six starts but have won only seven of the 11 games during the ongoing streak.

Even with the modest record, Estrada could emerge as somewhat of a dark-horse Cy Young candidate, boasting a 2.70 ERA and 0.97 WHIP with 84 strikeouts and 37 walks through 93.1 innings (14 starts).

Granted, it’s a real long shot, as Estrada has never posted a sub-3.00 ERA in his career, often struggling with the long ball due to his fly-ball tendencies as a pitcher.

For the time being, the Blue Jays are just happy to have a de facto ace, as Marcus Stroman (5.23 ERA) and R.A. Dickey (4.08 ERA) have both been inconsistent.

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