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Tuesday Bantering: Blue Jays “have at least mentioned” Dee Gordon in trade talks

Your morning update for everything Blue Jays.

By Mark Colley
Miami Marlins v San Francisco Giants Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images

The Blue Jays, along with the Los Angeles Angels and Kansas City Royals, are interested in Miami second baseman Dee Gordon, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports writes. Heyman says that the three teams have “at least mentioned” Gordon in trade talks.

The long-term loss of Devon Travis to injury earlier this season likely explains Toronto’s interest in an additional middle infielder. Gordon, although suspended for 80 games due to the use of performance enhancing drugs in 2016, won the National League batting title in 2015 with an average of .333.

In 2017, Gordon is hitting .295 with an OBP of .342 over 346 at-bats and 85 games. He is under contract for at least three more years, with a $14 million team option in 2021.

The Blue Jays quietly sent Glenn Sparkman, their Rule 5 draft pick, back to the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, ending a short and ultimately ineffective stint with the major league club.

Sparkman broke his hand in spring training, and after a short series of rehab outings, Sparkman made his major league debut on June 30th (0.2 IP, 0 R, 2 H). In his second appearance, on July 2nd, Sparkman gave up seven earned runs and recorded just one out.

In a recent post for FanGraphs, Jeff Sullivan compared the strength of various second half schedules. The Blue Jays have the easiest second half schedule out of all the AL East teams, but a harder than normal schedule otherwise. It’s pretty interesting look at, but I’m also pretty sure that it means relatively nothing.

Other notes:

  • Justin Smoak will be batting sixth in today’s All-Star game. You can watch the game on FOX, starting at 8:00 PM ET.
  • Chris Sale is starting his second consecutive All-Star game, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished in the American League since Toronto’s Dave Stieb starting back-to-back All-Star games in 1983-84.
  • Edward Olivares, a Blue Jay prospect currently with the Lansing Lugnuts, won the Midwest League’s Player of the Week award for going 11-for-26. He hit five doubles, two home runs and gathered seven RBI.
  • Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette have officially been promoted to the high-A Dunedin Blue Jays.

Follow Mark on Twitter @MarkColley.

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