Blue Jays' Christian Walker trade rumor raises George Springer question
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The Toronto Blue Jays' lineup has lacked power all season long.
To add it, though, they create some potential lineup question marks, particularly with George Springer.
The latest rumor circulating is from ESPN, where writers Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel list the Blue Jays as one of the "best fits" for Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker.
Walker's power has been in strong supply this season, but the Astros have struggled, so he's a logical trade candidate.
Are the Blue Jays actually a good fit, though?
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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. plays first base for Toronto, and while his power hasn't shown up this season, he isn't going anywhere.
George Springer is the DH, and while he has fallen off, it'd be surprising for the Blue Jays to bench him entirely.
The key, more than anything, might simply be that Walker wouldn't cost that much, and it could be worth the try to get a spark.
"There often is a tendency at the deadline to inflate the cost of bats, forgetting that unlike a pitching staff that has 13 spots, most players are tethered to one position, and that position needs to be open on multiple contenders for a market to form," the ESPN duo writes. "It's unclear at this point just how much the Astros intend to deal away, though if they do make moves, Walker should have a robust group of suitors. He has plenty of power. Though he isn't the glovesmith he once was, he still plays a solid first base. And because he has a costly year left on his contract, the acquisition price won't be prohibitive."
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ESPN lists six other teams as possible landing spots for Walker: the Diamondbacks, Guardians, Padres, Rangers, Marlins and Pirates.
The Blue Jays will be far from the only team after him, if Toronto does decide to make this pursuit.
The Jays probably won't do anything until a month or so from now, when they will be hoping they're on a bit of a hot streak to get back into contention.
For now, though, just the mention of Walker does raise some fascinating questions, whether it happens in the end or not.