Toronto Blue Jays Trade Rumors: 5 Available Players Who Could Help Other Teams

With the Toronto Blue Jays out of contention in the A.L East it is likely that they will be sellers at the trade deadline once again.

With a number of useful players on contracts expiring at the end of the 2011 season, Toronto has some leverage in trying to make deals with competing teams who need a spare bat or an extra arm.

Toronto is in a similar position to last year when Toronto G.M Alex Anthopoulos stayed inactive in the trade market, stockpiling compensation draft picks instead. This year will probably see the same thing happen again.

However if Toronto are going to be active at the trade deadline, here are five names who could potentially help a competing team.

1. Aaron Hill

While not hitting the depths of his 2010 season, Hill has had another poor year.

The second baseman is hitting just .237/.281/.329. What’s more, he has set career lows in both Slugging and OPS in hitting just four home runs this year.

There is an upside in trading for Hill though, he is capable of swinging the bat having recorded 36 home runs in 2009 and 26 a year later. The structure of his contract is an advantage too, Hill has an option for $8 Million for 2012 that can be declined at the end of the year.

I do not think Hill would be traded though. He is a type B free agent at the end of the year and while the Blue Jays are not competing, there is not a viable replacement for Hill at second base.

2. Jesse Litsch

For all his injury issues and apparent unpopularity amongst some sections of the Blue Jays fans, Litsch is a decent back end of the rotation starter

His numbers over the last three years have been poor but in his first two seasons in the majors, Litsch put of some very serviceable numbers. In 2008, Litsch threw 176 innings compiling a 3.58 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP while posting a respectable 2.54 K/BB.

Litsch has fallen behind Zach Stewart and Carlos Villanueva in the pecking order and while he puts up superior numbers to Jo-Jo Reyes, the latter’s lack of Minor League options puts him ahead of Litsch.

 With a number of talented young pitchers coming through the Blue Jays farm system, Litsch appears to be the odd man out. Packaged with a couple of other players, Toronto may get enough of a return to trade him.

3. Jon Rauch

Rauch is a man whose used to being traded at this time of year having gone from Washington to Arizona in the middle of the 2008 season and then onto Minnesota a year later.

While his numbers have not been particularly good this year, he has posted a passable WHIP at 1.29 and you only need to go back to 2009 where in his short spell at the Twins, he recorded an ERA of just 1.72.

Rauch has been used in a number of roles at the back end of the Toronto bullpen this year including helping struggling closer Frank Francisco. He is probably better suited to the role as set up man and there might well be a team willing to offer enough to get him from Toronto.

4. Jason Frasor

Most of the trade talk surrounding the Blue Jays has concerned their bullpen so it is no surprise that Jason Frasor’s name has come up again.

Frasor has had another solid year posting a 3.16 ERA and an impressive 1.16 WHIP. What makes Frasor an attractive proposition is his ability to play a number of different roles in the bullpen. In his time in Toronto, Frasor has been used in middle relief, set up and often as closer with mixed results.

Like many of the Blue Jay relievers, Frasor’s contract expires at the end of the year and unlike last season, he only projects to be a type B free agent. This makes potentially losing him less important. As with Rauch or any of the other relievers, the right offer comes may mean the end of Frasor's time in Toronto.

5. Carlos Villanueva

Originally seen as a long reliever, Villanueva has surprised everyone pitching extremely in a Blue Jays rotation that has struggled this year. His 2.99 ERA and outstanding 1.09 WHIP are making this a career year, indicated by his 2.1 WAR, which far exceeds anything he has done in his career to this point.

This is why it may be best to trade him now.

Despite his outstanding year, I’m not sure Villanueva has a long-term future with the Blue Jays. Next year is a contract year for him, and it may well be the case that his numbers return to something similar to when he was pitching with Milwaukee.

As with Alex Gonzalez last season, it may be best to get the most out of Villanueva when his value is likely at an all-time high.