Randal Grichuk Heads North of the Border
From the big picture, this trade works for both teams and helps to fulfill needs that both had within various parts of their roster. Toronto was in need of another outfielder, which Grichuk provides, and they can allow him the opportunity to play full-time which is something that St. Louis couldn't offer to him. On the other side, the Cardinals receive a nice back end of the bullpen arm in Dominic Leone along with the aforementioned, 22-year old pitching prospect, Conner Greene.
Last season, St. Louis was in a limbo with Grichuk as at one point, he struggled so badly, he had to be sent down to Triple-A which basically signaled to fans and the baseball community alike, that the organization might have lost their faith in him or were starting to view him in a different way. Furthermore, at the beginning of this winter, St. Louis made it known that they had plenty of outfield depth to trade from and that they would use that depth as leverage for trades this winter. The first came when they traded Stephen Piscotty to the Oakland A's and the second was this trade involving Grichuk.
Besides having plenty of outfield options to trade from this winter, St. Louis also needed to address its bullpen in some form or fashion and started by signing Luke Gregerson earlier this winter to a two-year, $11 million dollar deal and further supplemented that need with the pickup of Dominic Leone this afternoon. Leone has floated around between organizations over the past couple of years as he was originally with the Mariners, then went to Arizona for the later half of the 2015 season and for the entire 2016 season before heading north to be with the Blue Jays prior to the start of last season.
As for Conner Greene, who was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 7th Round of the 2013 Amateur Draft, the Cardinals essentially got him to add to their minor league pitching depth. Last season with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Blue Jays Double A affiliate, Greene pitched to the tune of a 5.29 ERA over 132.2 IP with 78 earned runs, 83 walks, 92 strikeouts, and a 1.69 WHIP. At the start of last season, Greene was the 11th ranked prospect with the Blue Jays farm system.
With the addition of Grichuk, the Blue Jays now add another outfielder to an already crowded outfield which means that there could potentially be another move in the works for Toronto. Grichuk will slot over in right field with mainstay, Kevin Pillar, in center and Steve Pearce over in left field. Both Teoscar Hernandez and Ezequiel Carrera will battle it out for the fourth outfielder job come Spring Training.
Of course, Toronto could always elect to hang onto all five outfielders, which provides them depth in the event of an injury and would give Teoscar Hernandez the opportunity for further development down in Triple-A. For Grichuk, the opportunity to play right field on an everyday basis is something that he has been working towards and expressed interest in as early as last season. In 2017 with the Cardinals, Grichuk got a bulk of his at bats in the 7th and 8th spot within the Redbirds lineup and that could be the same spot he fits in with the Blue Jays. Toronto could also elect to bat him 3rd or 4th to provide protection for Josh Donaldson as well depending on how his bat comes along over the course of Spring Training and once the regular season is underway.
Overall, today's trade between the St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays is one that makes a lot of sense and a trade that fulfilled needs for both parties involved. Now that Grichuk has an opportunity to play full time, it will be interesting to watch him develop and see if he can regain his reputation as one of the more promising outfielders within the game.
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