The Toronto Blue Jays have been a surging team in Major League Baseball over the past month and a half.
They have been one of the hottest teams in all of baseball, and all of a sudden have hopes of making real noise in the playoffs.
Toronto has caught all of the baseball world off guard as they are now 51-38, and hold a three-game lead in the American League East after sweeping the New York Yankees in a four-game set.
However, as is the case for pretty much every MLB team, the Blue Jays could use some reinforcements as the July 31st deadline looms.
Toronto has a deep rotation featuring three quality arms and a solid closer in Jeff Hoffman, but having a plethora of serviceable relievers can set you apart come October.
Trade Proposal Sends Braves’ Dylan Lee to Toronto
It has been a tough year for the Atlanta Braves, who seem to be headed in the wrong direction.
Injuries to their pitching staff have led to the belief that they will be sellers at the trade deadline.
But for the Braves, they don’t have many players who have true value in the trade market.
The one exception is lefty Dylan Lee, who is having a stellar year out of the bullpen and has been the only Braves’ quality relief option.
In 40 relief appearances this season, Lee has a 2.27 ERA in 39.2 innings pitched.
He has not been featured in a closing role since the Braves haven’t had many of those opportunities, but his 41 strikeouts and WHIP of 0.882 are impressive numbers, making him a great fit to hold games for the Toronto Blue Jays.
So, in a recent trade idea, the Blue Jays land a deal for southpaw Lee from Atlanta in return for left-handed starting pitcher prospect Ricky Tiedemann, who is the fourth-ranked prospect in the Jays organization. Tiedemann is a tall 6’4″ lefty who is currently with Toronto’s Triple-A club.
He has made just one start at that level but projects well with his size and would bolster the Braves’ depleted farm.
Toronto’s Bullpen Outlook
The Toronto Blue Jays have many quality right-handed bullpen options this season.
The closer, Hoffman, has been excellent, and Yimi Garcia, Yariel Rodríguez, and Chad Green are also quality options.
The one thing they may lack is a dominant lefty to use for matchup purposes. Lefties are hitting just .194 against Lee this season, but an even more impressive stat is his ability to get righties out as well. Right-handed hitters are batting just .173 off Lee in 2025.
This is also no fluke of a season for Lee. In 2024, he posted a 2.11 ERA in 59.2 innings, with 76 strikeouts.
If the Atlanta Braves opt to sell off whatever pieces they believe have value, there is a strong belief that Lee will be one of the players moved.
Players like Marcell Ozuna, Raisel Iglesias, and Ozzie Albies have seen strong dips in trade value due to recent struggles, while Lee has only improved his stock. Keep an eye out for this type of move from the Blue Jays towards the deadline, and it could be the Braves moving on from Lee.
