Blue Jays’ signing of former Guardians prospect reinforces Cleveland’s trade deadline win

Six years ago, the Cleveland Guardians’ front office pulled a fast one on Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller when they sent Mike Clevinger and Greg Allen to San Diego in exchange for a five-player return. 

While the Padres didn’t get much for Clevinger and got even less from Allen, one quiet contributor from their trade return was pitcher Matt Waldron, who was included in the deal after the 2020 season concluded as a player to be named later. 

He ended up making his big league debut for the Padres in 2023, and was a key contributor on their 2024 team that made it all the way to the National League Division Series. 

While Waldon’s time with the Padres came to an end last week when he was designated for assignment to make room for Jeremiah Estrada, he got new life earlier this week when the Blue Jays claimed Waldon on waivers. 

Matt Waldron’s new contract shows why the Guardians were smart to trade for Foster Griffin

Toronto is perhaps the perfect landing spot for Waldron given their already thin pitching staff took a hit earlier this week when Trey Yesavage hit the injured list. The Blue Jays need to add Waldron to their big league roster since he’s out of options, so it won’t be long until we see him in a Blue Jays uniform. 

Waldron didn’t have much big league success this season (7.23 ERA in 32 2/3 innings), but he has a 1.33 ERA in 27 innings at Triple-A. 

His best season came in that aforementioned 2024 season when he had a 4.91 ERA in 146 2/3 innings. Waldron’s a bit unique in today’s game given he boasts an arsenal led by a knuckleball that averages just 80.3 miles per hour. He also throws a fastball, cutter, sinker and sweeper. 

Waldron’s also a good insurance option should Shane Bieber or Max Scherzer suffer any kind of injury down the stretch given he can easily slide into the rotation. 

The Blue Jays surprisingly held onto Bieber at the trade deadline, but he’s only managed to make eight starts this year and had an absolute dud in his final start before the trade deadline. The same can be said for Scherzer, who has made eight subpar starts this season. 

If anything, the Blue Jays’ acquisition of Waldron makes the Guardians’ trade for Foster Griffin look even better. Had the Guardians not done that, they would have been one pitcher injury away from needing to acquire a pitcher like Waldron to fill out their depth. 

But now the Guardians have some All-Star insurance that’s helped make their biggest strength even stronger. The Blue Jays can’t say the same. 

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