The Toronto Blue Jays have been one of the better teams in baseball this year, but they've still had to deal with plenty of injuries. At 37-26 and 9.5 games behind the first-place New York Yankees, those injuries can certainly be a reason why they are so far behind in the division.
Although they haven't had a bad year by any means, as they're already nine games above .500, their record isn't going to get the job done in the American League East with how well New York has played.
The Toronto Blue Jays reported earlier in the week that Hyun Jin Ryu is going to undergo season-ending surgery on his left elbow. This is going to be a major loss for a Toronto Blue Jays pitching staff that's already lacking depth. Although he wasn't having a great start to the season with a 5.67 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP, he was one of the better pitchers in baseball from the 2018 to 2020 season. His best year with Toronto came in 2020 where he finished with a 2.69 era and 1.15 whip.
That injury is going to be a tough one for the Toronto Blue Jays to figure out, but reports are now suggesting that Nate Pearson could be making his return sometime soon. Pearson, who was out with mononucleosis, just made an appearance in Triple-A buffalo on Tuesday. He hasn't pitched yet in 2022, but he showed some promise during the 2021 season. Although his numbers weren't great, the hard-throwing right-hander is still 25 years old and has the potential to be one of the better pitchers in baseball when he gets some innings under his belt.
The biggest thing for the Toronto Blue Jays to do is to go out and add a few high-level arms at the trade deadline. It's not going to be an easy task to acquire multiple high-level pitchers, but Toronto has to find a way to at least get one or two. Whether it be a starting pitcher or guys in the bullpen, Toronto needs to add some depth to that rotation, and not only do they need depth, but they need guys who have good stuff.
If the Blue Jays are hoping to be the team that many were expecting to be this season, the trade deadline is going to be huge for them. They have the potential to make their team a lot better and that's exactly what they need to do.
