Blue Jays Acquire Seranthony Dominguez from Orioles: What to Make of Trade

Between a doubleheader on July 29, the Blue Jays and Orioles completed a two-player deal. The Blue Jays acquired veteran reliever Seranthony Dominguez from the Orioles. Baltimore, meanwhile, received a pitching propsect trending upward, right-hander Juaron Watts-Brown.

The Blue Jays’ Return

RP Seranthony Dominguez (3.24 ERA, 54 K over 41.2 IP)

New Toronto reliever Seranthony Dominguez comes with a wealth of experience, given that he’s been in the Majors for seven seasons. Most of those seasons came in Philadelphia, where he held numerous roles, including as a closer or a high-leverage arm during the Phillies’ run to the World Series in 2022.

Dominguez was having a strong season with Baltimore. He induced chases at a high rate of 31.1%, while his Whiff% was 34.3%, among the league’s best.

Seranthony Dominguez whiff 2025 BAL — Dominguez does a strong job of keeping hitters guessing, both up & down.

Typically of many relievers, Dominguez’s command (13.7% BB%) isn’t the best. It’s either walks from pitches away, or hits from inside the zone, as opposing hitters had a high 12.2% Barrel% on him last year.

However, the 30-year-old was among the better relievers available in terms of controllable outcomes.

Dominguez has two legitimate plus swing-and-miss pitches, one being his mid-80s sweeper, and the other is a mid-80s splitter. Both pitches were chase weapons for Dominguez, as his splitter breaks down hard with little arm-side movement, while the sweeper is a weapon to work away from right-handed hitters.

Additionally, Dominguez works with two fastballs: a four-seamer and a two-seamer, the latter of which he primarily uses to run in on right-handed hitters.

The new Blue Jay put up very good numbers against right-handers (.443 OPS), while his numbers against lefties (three HR, .855 OPS were not great.

This is the second time in a matter of 13 months that Dominguez was traded. Last year, Dominguez was traded from the Phillies to the Orioles for Austin Hays.

Dominguez, a free agent after 2025, is in the last year of a three-year deal.

The Orioles’ Return

SP Juaron Watts-Brown (3.54 ERA, 115 K over 89 IP (A+ and AA))

The Orioles get back a strong pitching prospect: right-hander Juaron Watts-Brown.

Watts-Brown didn’t pitch collegiately during the 2021 season, aside from summer ball. But from 2022-23, Watts-Brown was an electric strikeout pitcher, both with Long Beach State & Oklahoma State. The right-hander struck out 235 batters over 155.2 NCAA innings, with 124 of those coming in 2023 with OK State.

Toronto selected him in the third round two years ago.

The 23-year-old, standing at 6’3” with an over-the-top delivery, put up impressive numbers last season. With Dunedin, he struck out 74 over 57.2 IP, showcasing a fastball with high IVB (18.2”) and the ability to pump it up to 96 MPH. Additionally, he worked with a low-80s changeup with separation, as well as a mid-80s slider with breaking action downward.

Watts-Brown pitch movement 2024 A — Low-A pitch labels can be inconsistent. The cutter (purple) is more of a slider, while many of the sliders (orange) displayed more curveball movement.

That cutter elicited a Whiff% of 46.6% in A-ball.

He struggled in High-A Vancouver that year, as Watts-Brown walked 31 over 45.1 IP. However, his 2025 season has been significantly better. Watts-Brown struck out 115 over 89 frames between High-A and Double-A, and opposing hitters have hit just .201 off him since the move to New Hampshire (AA).

Watts-Brown showed strong stuff this season, including a bending curveball with depth, a pitch that sat in the high-60s to low-70s last season in Low-A.

Analysis

The Blue Jays have received good results from their bullpen, despite not having Yimi Garcia for a healthy chunk of 2025. However, this move is more about putting the team over the top as the team hurdles towards October.

Dominguez gives the Jays another high-leverage arm, and one who differs from closer Jeff Hoffman, a former teammate of Dominguez with Philly.

Baltimore, meanwhile, made out pretty well. The O’s received a strong pitching prospect who’s shown legitimate swing-and-miss stuff, highlighted by that aforementioned slider. But, that’s not his only weapon.

The Orioles do need pitching who can impact the Majors in short order; they’re thin in that area, although big boys like Chayce McDermott (AAA) and Trey Gibson (AA), the latter of whom is having a breakout season, could be pieces for the O’s in the near future.

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