There was a lot of action ahead of the MLB trade deadline this year, and the Toronto Blue Jays were right in the middle of a lot of it. One of the most pleasant surprises in baseball this season, the Blue Jays entered the All-Star break in first place in the American League East and remained there heading into trade deadline action.

Shane Bieber’s Comments After Blue Jays Trade Will Make Guardians Fans Emotional originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Toronto Blue Jays entered Saturday tied for the best record in the AL, but it's not because of their pitching numbers. They're 22nd in baseball with a team 4.31 ERA and tied for 10th with a .242 batting average against.

However, they did swing one noteworthy deal, shipping off Shane Bieber to the Toronto Blue Jays for pitching prospect Khal Stephen. A few days after the deal, former MLB executive Jim Bowden of The Athletic deemed this the best trade at the deadline, but not for the Guardians.