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TORONTO — The goal was to upgrade the rotation.

What the Toronto Blue Jays are getting in Taijuan Walker, at this moment in time, is much, much more.

As the world grapples with how to deal with the issues of racial inequality and social injustice, athletes have not been “sticking to sports.”

And rightly so.

The platform sports provide these days needs to be used, and Walker hasn’t been one to shy away from providing his thoughts on social media.

Born in Shreveport, La., and raised in California, Walker’s father is Black, and his mother, who raised him by herself, is half Mexican and half white.

The perspective of the 28-year-old right-hander will be welcomed inside the Blue Jays’ clubhouse, especially after the team jettisoned the influential Anthony Alford, previously the only Black player suiting up for the Jays, last week.

Thursday’s trade, getting Walker from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for a player to be named later, was about rotation depth and the 4.00 ERA the 43rd-overall pick from the 2010 MLB Draft is carrying through five starts.

But they’re also getting a voice.

“His character really resonated,” Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins said Thursday afternoon. “He’s been a leader in the clubhouse in Seattle, we’ve heard that from players, coaches, front office. In talking to him already, it’s clear he’s going to be a very positive influence on us and our culture.

“We’re excited about his influence; how passionate he is about the Black Lives Matter movement. In talking to him about it this morning, it made me feel good about the person, about the addition, and we already did feel very good. It speaks to his person; it speaks to his character. I know that he will be embraced in our clubhouse. I know our players will be very glad to have his perspective, his leadership and his thoughts on the matter.”

On Wednesday, after NBA players decided to take a stand, a handful of teams around baseball did the same.

The Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox were not among them, going ahead with their scheduled game at Sahlen Field, instead.

Atkins says there were conversations about sitting out, a movement spurred by the shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin, the latest in a long line of racially-charged police incidents over the last few months alone, but Blue Jays players were “comfortable” with taking the field.

That changed Thursday, a charge led by Jackie Bradley Jr. and the Boston Red Sox.

With important conversations going on all day with the Red Sox and Major League Baseball, Blue Jays players had originally decided amongst themselves that they wanted to play Thursday night, but in the end decided to sit out once Boston made their intentions clear, manager Charlie Montoyo said.

“It was a team decision,” Montoyo said.

The Jays and Red Sox sent out a joint statement about the reasons for the postponement.

“The continued police brutality and social inequity demand immediate attention and focus from all of us — not only Black Americans and Canadians,” the statement read. “We fully respect the decision of our players to bring further awareness of the systemic racism that contributes to police violence against Black, Indigenous, and people of colour in our communities. We look forward to getting back on the field, and using our strongest platform, our game, to amplify our message demanding meaningful change.”

The appetite for change is needed, but organizations empowering those with platforms to continue to speak up is another step and that’s exactly what Atkins and the Jays are trying to communicate to players on a daily basis.

“Drawing attention and creating more dialogue is a platform that we have and we need to use it,” Atkins said. “And we need to talk about using it with our players and talk about with the league and talk about it with the other teams.”

Walker, the pitcher

With legitimate aspirations of making the expanded postseason and Matt Shoemaker (lat), Nate Pearson (elbow) and Trent Thornton (elbow) all landing on the IL recently, something had to give.

For the second year in a row, similar to the Marcus Stroman trade last July, Atkins was able to get something done well in advance of Monday’s 4 p.m. ET trade deadline.

Walker didn’t cost much – the PTBNL won’t be any sort of high-end prospect when all is said and done – but he could have an important impact on manager Montoyo’s pitching staff in a couple of ways.

First and foremost is the fact Walker has been able to complete seven innings in two of his five starts, including last time out on Aug. 19 when he allowed three runs to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Blue Jays starters getting deeper into games will help a beleaguered bullpen that’s still found a way to get results despite being forced to throw 136.2 innings, compared to getting just 119.2 out of the rotation.

The addition of Walker could not only help get the bullpen arms some rest, it will allow pitchers like Thomas Hatch, Anthony Kay, Ryan Borucki and Julian Merryweather to stay in roles they’ve been successful in and give them some flexibility in September.

“He’s been throwing the ball exceptionally well,” Atkins said. “He’s got four pitches that he’s getting swing and miss with. He doesn’t walk guys, or he’s walked very few. Another piece to our rotation that we’re excited to add.”

Atkins might not be done, saying pitching is still the focus.

A scrap-heap signing for the Mariners over the off-season after two years of arm injuries held him to just 14 total innings in 2018 and 2019, Walker is slated to become a free agent at the end of the year, but there is some upside here as a former top prospect who’s only 28 and is just now returning to health.

With a four-seam fastball averaging 93 m.p.h., a cutter/slider, curve and sinker, Atkins believes Walker will continue to find rotation success, sliding in behind Hyun-Jin Ryu, Tanner Roark and Chase Anderson for the time being as the Jays sort through their options.

“His arsenal is complete,” Atkins said. “He has the weapons to move through a lineup, and he’s been doing that this year.”