Time for Blue Jays to load up at trade deadline, but it has to be the right fit

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In what has suddenly been a 12-year major-league career, George Springer has seen it all at the flashpoint moment that is baseball’s trade deadline.

He’s seen the Houston Astros attempt to load up for a run at a championship run as they did in 2017, a triumphant season in which the now Blue Jays outfielder/ designated hitter was named World Series MVP.

He’s seen teams add bit pieces and he’s seen other organizations clean house, like the Jays did to some degree on their way to a last-place season just a year ago.

And he’s seen clubhouses have to adapt to the changing faces and chemistry that comes along with the pursuit of even bigger goals.

“I think you just keep playing and you keep doing what you need to do,” Springer said in an interview with the Toronto Sun this week, when asked about the mix of anxiety and excitement that builds as the deadline nears. “You go to war with the guys that are in the locker room every day. And honestly? Whatever happens, happens.

“I can’t speak for how anybody else feels, but for me it’s just about the guys who are here now and we’ll see what happens.”

That said, Springer doesn’t have his head in the sand. He can read the standings as closely as the next guy. He can feel the buzz building in the city, country and throughout Major League Baseball. And he knows that the Jays have earned the status of pushing general manager Ross Atkins to be an aggressive buyer as next Thursday’s deadline rapidly approaches.

“I just think it’s cool that we’ve put ourselves in that position where other people talk about us,” Springer said. “I know it’s not something that’s talked about in here. I think guys love each other in here and what we’ve done so far. I guess (trade deadline talk) is just a byproduct of a lot of hard work and the good things that have come.”

When a team keeps winning as the Jays have — now 6-1 out of the all-star break following Thursday’s big 11-4 victory over the Tigers in Detroit — it’s easy to get excited about the possibilities.

“It’s on everybody’s mind a little bit,” Jays shortstop Bo Bichette acknowledged during the Yankees series in Toronto earlier in the week. “We’ve put ourselves in a position where we think that there should be things done to help us.

“At the same time, I think we’re so confident in everybody in that room, honestly, that whatever happens we’ll continue to come here and just try to win.”

Underlying the comments of Springer and Bichette is the expectation in a clubhouse of seeing the front office go, if not all-in, then making additions that will enhance the potential associated with having the best record in the American League (61-42) on Friday afternoon.

If the Jays are to cement that status and parlay it into some post-season success, there are roster needs that must be addressed, starting with a beefing up of the bullpen, especially with the uncertainty around Yimi Garcia’s status.

Rotation depth also has to be on Atkins’ radar as does an impact bat to further add to the already dynamic Toronto offence.

While there’s always the risk of altering what is, by all accounts, a strong clubhouse dynamic with the team right now, the prospect of adding to that for a more meaningful run carries some excitement.

“You don’t want to disrupt what’s gotten you here, for sure, and I know that the general sense is like just go get everything that you can,” manager John Schneider said during the Yankees series. “But you have to do things that make sense for you. And I think we have a pretty good idea of how we can make this group better without kind of forcing it.

“I think you look more at how (additions) would fit into what we’re doing right now. It’s kind of a tricky one. It’s something that when you’re in top spot, you don’t want to do anything over the top just to say you did something.”

As for clubhouse chemistry, Schneider believes there are enough strong voices among the current group to enable a smooth transition for incoming bodies at the end of next week.

“When you’re playing well, everyone gets excited about potential talent adds,” Schneider said. “And and when you have a good group, they kind of set the tone when people come in. I don’t think that we’ll worry about it too much. I think you look at talent and they kind of fall in line when they get here.”