Three players who could help the Blue Jays internally

This story was excerpted from Keegan Matheson’s Blue Jays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

TORONTO -- It’s OK if the term “internal options” doesn’t exactly light your heart on fire. It’s baseball’s version of being told: “You’re not getting pizza. We have food at home.”

The first half of the season has been a lesson, though. The Blue Jays have been forced to reach deeper into their roster than many expected, both on the position-player and pitching front. Whether injuries or trades open the next doors, Toronto is going to continue reaching down to Triple-A Buffalo for talent.

Rehabbing relievers Jordan Romano and Yimi García could return to bolster the bullpen prior to the Trade Deadline on July 30, but beyond that, the Blue Jays need more options.

Below is a look at a pair of prospects that could come next, but let’s start with an old friend:

RHP Erik Swanson (Triple-A Buffalo)

Swanson has struggled at Triple-A since being optioned in late May, and this recent stretch has been particularly difficult. In Swanson’s last outing, he allowed six runs while recording just one out. Over his past three outings, he’s allowed a combined 11 runs over two innings. These numbers are tough to look at, and manager John Schneider says the Blue Jays are “exhausting all options” with Swanson.

“We’re diving into things,” Schneider said. “What was he doing last year and what was he doing in 2022 that made him really good compared to now? It’s weird, because the velo is the same, the splitter is the same, but the command is definitely not. He’s getting hurt on pitches that are just in the middle of the zone.”

We know who Swanson can be, though. He’s the man who posted a 2.97 ERA a year ago, a 10.1 strikeouts-per-nine rate and a devastating splitter. That hasn’t disappeared, he’s just having some trouble finding it right now. Let’s keep the human element in this conversation, too, as Swanson was away from the team for a stretch of camp this spring after his son, Toby, was hit by a vehicle and airlifted to the hospital.

This is why framing a “successful” end to Swanson’s season is difficult. He’s making $2.75 million this season and has one year of arbitration remaining in 2025 before hitting free agency. If Swanson can get back to the big leagues for a month or more and reestablish himself as a piece of this bullpen for '25, that’ll be a big step in the right direction.

LHP Ricky Tiedemann (No. 1 prospect)

Tiedemann threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings with Single-A Dunedin on Wednesday night, striking out five with no hits allowed on 44 pitches. At most, he’ll need one more outing before getting back to Triple-A, and that could happen in time for his next outing. Tiedemann looked very sharp, too, hammering away and touching 98.1 mph with his fastball.

Whether the Blue Jays buy, sell or burn this thing to the ground, you could see Tiedemann in the Majors down the stretch. He should get back to Buffalo soon, and from there, he’ll only be a few hot starts away from being a legitimate option for the Blue Jays.

It’s time to look to the future, either with one eye or both, and Tiedemann is a crucial part of that.

SS Leo Jimenez (No. 5 prospect)

We need to talk about Jimenez more. Whether he finally gets his chance in the big leagues or is asked about in trades -- again -- he’s going to become relevant awfully soon.

Jimenez is batting .288 with an .891 OPS, and he’s been on a tear lately. Pair that with his defense at shortstop, which he can play at the MLB level, and you’ve got an attractive prospect who is still flying an inch under the radar, as he always has. Jimenez was on the Triple-A injured list earlier this month, which took him out of consideration when Bo Bichette hit the IL, but Jimenez may have also needed a more permanent role to be considered for.

If the Blue Jays were buyers ahead of the Trade Deadline, Jimenez would make sense -- along with other prospects like Addison Barger -- as a prospect to package in a trade. While some sellers are looking for younger players with more upside, Jimenez is a player that a last-place team could easily throw in at shortstop for the final two months of the season. He’s a great “near-term trade asset,” if you’ll allow some front-office speak.

Bichette only has one more year of team control left, though, and given the direction this season is headed, Jimenez’s opportunity could still come in Toronto.