Blue Jays mailbag: How will Panik trade affect further moves down the road?

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/06/2021 (1603 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Blue Jays are officially open for business as general manager Ross Atkins made his first move to upgrade the roster and make a run at the post-season.

The trade deadline is still more than a month away, but that didn’t stop the Jays from striking early. They acquired right-hander Adam Cimber and outfielder Corey Dickerson from the Miami Marlins on Tuesday afternoon in exchange for infielder Joe Panik and minor-league pitcher Andrew McInvale.

The key to the deal is Cimber, a 30-year-old submariner who has posted a very respectable 2.88 ERA across 34 1/3 innings for Miami this season. He doesn’t strike out many batters, but he induces a lot of weak contact and Cimber should step in right away as the primary setup man for closer Jordan Romano.

Dickerson is more of an awkward fit because the Jays have a glut of outfielders, but he could end up being an asset. The 32-year-old is in the middle of another down season, after struggling during last year’s abbreviated schedule, but as recently as two years ago he hit 12 homers with a .906 OPS. He’ll be out until at least the all-star break with a foot injury and when he returns, he’ll likely fill Rowdy Tellez’s former role as a lefty bat off the bench, part-time DH, and in Dickerson’s case, occasional outfield work.

This should be the first of many moves over the next few weeks as the Jays, who entered play on Tuesday five games back of Oakland for the second wild card spot, attempt to bolster their pitching staff to complement an already potent lineup. The latest trade was a minor move, but one that should make an impact and the addition of two players means there will be fallout elsewhere.

With the deal set to become official at some point on Tuesday, it’s a perfect time to open up the weekly Blue Jays mailbag. As one might expect following a deal, a lot of this week’s questions were centred on the trade and how it will influence the Jays roster decisions in the coming days and weeks.

As a friendly reminder, questions should be submitted to bluejaysmailbag@gmail.com or by reaching out to me on Twitter @GregorChisholm. The following questions have been edited for length and grammar:

With the acquisition of Dickerson, does that mean Lourdes Gurriel Jr. or Randal Grichuk are likely to be used as trade bait for a significant pitching addition at the deadline?

— Chris, Calgary

Not necessarily. The Jays should be expected to shop their outfielders before the deadline, but the latest move doesn’t mean anything is imminent. Keep in mind that after signing George Springer, Atkins fielded offers for Gurriel and Grichuk and nothing materialized. A similar strategy will be followed in the weeks ahead, but Gurriel’s value dropped after a slow start and Grichuk is still owed an additional $21 million after this season so another move is no sure thing.

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Even if the Jays don’t trade an outfielder, there’s a way to make this work. This isn’t five outfielders for three spots — because of the DH it’s more like five guys for four spots. Dickerson would start against tough righties while Gurriel and Grichuk would both play vs. lefties. Injuries also will create additional playing time so a lot of this stuff will sort itself out over time. The Jays have outfielders available for trade but acquiring Dickerson doesn’t guarantee someone is about to become the odd-man out.

About time the Jays got rid of Panik. Does this mean Santiago Espinal sticks with the big-league team? I’d like to see him get some starts at third over Biggio.

— Daniel, Barrie

Mailbag readers can rejoice, after making Espinal a regular topic over the last several weeks. He has secured a job. I wouldn’t bet on Espinal supplanting Biggio at third, because as stated in this space many times before, Biggio has the better bat, but the latest trade should be enough to make him Toronto’s primary utility infielder.

Trading Panik isn’t much of a loss for the Jays. Panik was a valuable veteran influence inside the clubhouse, but his playing time was sporadic, and the Jays have enough depth elsewhere that he was considered a redundant piece. That’s why it made sense to move him in a deal like this with the Marlins, especially considering the other player going to Miami is McInvale, a 24-year-old former 37th round pick who has yet to advance above Class A. This is a win-win deal for the Jays and one that comes with very little risk.