The Canada to Philly Pipeline??

 

Here is a shortlist of players that the Philadelphia Phillies have discussed with the Toronto Blue Jays. Kevin Gausman, Daulton Varsho, Jeff Hoffman, Shane Bieber, George Springer. Any of those guys would definitely be the jolt that Philly needs to finish the season. I'm not sure how many will end up being dealt, and how many of our guys will be affected [is this where Painter goes? Is this where Rincones goes?], but it's certainly promising.

Let's be clear, the Jays are responsible for one of the most important pickups in Philadelphia Phillies history, the Roy Halladay trade of 2010, where two inconsequential Phils prospects [and also Travis d'Arnaud] were sent to Toronto and the Phils got a legend who looked good in red. Other than that, the Phils and Jays have never really been on opposing sides of the aisle around this point. And yet here, the Phillies need help, the Jays aren't competing, so here we are.

So let's talk about why Daulton Varsho would be a great fit for the Phillies. Let's start with the obvious. Daulton Varsho, if he lands in Philly, would conclude a very special MLB story. Gary Varsho played for the Phillies in 1995, alongside Darren Daulton, stopped playing after the season, then nine months later his son was born, and he would be given the name Daulton after Gary's former teammate. And now there's a possibility that Daulton Varsho could be playing in Philadelphia, where his story essentially began thirty years ago. 

Plus, Varsho's just a handy guy to have around. Terrific center fielder, great power bat, great clutch hitter, very multi-faceted, thrives in October. Last year in the playoffs he was very helpful, and had 3 homers and 10 RBIs in 18 games. I think he'd do well in Philly. I also think Gausman or Springer or Bieber would probably also do well in Philly but Varsho especially. Jeff Hoffman in Philly though....hmm, I don't even know what that would look like...

If the Jays drop the hammer, they still have enough left to work with going forward. Brandon Valenzuela might be a stronger bet than Alejandro Kirk behind the plate, Trey Yesavage and Dylan Cease can certainly line a great rotation, Okamoto will still be around for a bit, and the team's still centered around Vlad for the foreseeable future. They are still fundamentally a good team, and have enough to still compete for a bit. The lightning that made them a threat last year could not strike twice, and the team could not hold up for long enough to really go for it. So here we are. 

If the Jays deal people to Philly, I hope they continue their strong work and deliver something great. I'd even be alright with Springer in Phils colors. It'd be weird rooting FOR Springer for once, after all this time rooting against him, but I'm open to the idea. 

Coming Tonight: How weird is it that after he got mad at Willson Contreras his season only improved?