The Blue Jays’ Best Trade Chips May Come From the MLB Roster

The Toronto Blue Jays have had an interesting season to navigate in 2026, as their schedule has been filled with injuries to key players and underperforming stars. Through their first 86 games, they are 40-46 and sit a few games under the .500 mark after reaching the World Series last season.

As the trade deadline draws increasingly near, the Blue Jays will have to determine whether they’re going to be contenders or sellers this year. Either way, they might have some talent on their MLB roster that could be dealt to help them build towards a playoff push or acquire help for next year and beyond.

Toronto might have come into the 2026 season as one of the most intimidating and impressive teams, but they’ll have to decide sooner rather than later what the remainder of the season has in store for them. Overall, the team needs another competitive starting pitcher and maybe some more help offensively.

Any of these listed players could easily find themselves on new teams in about a month in order to bring a good starter or two to Toronto. While they themselves aren’t going to be enough to land a Tarik Skubal, the Blue Jays aren’t in a spot to empty the farm in the name of contention. Their ownership has proved to be smarter than that. Instead, surplus players at the game’s highest level would make the most sense to be moved.

All stats updated prior to games on Wednesday, July 1

Nathan Lukes, OF

Nathan Lukes is an interesting name that could be thrown around in trade talks for the Blue Jays, as he has a unique combination of elite contact ability and team control, not being an unrestricted free agent until the end of the 2029 season. Last year, Lukes was one of the Jays’ key contributors throughout the regular season and their run to the World Series,

In 2025, Lukes slashed .255/.323/.407 and set career-highs in home runs (12), RBI (65), doubles (19), and fWAR (1.8). He was an elite contact hitter, striking out just 13.7% of the time and whiffing on just 14% of swings (94th percentile). A +5 Fielding Run Value (FRV) rounded out a solid season from Lukes, who was playing in his first MLB season of 30+ games. In the 2025 postseason, he tallied 17 hits, drove in eight runs, and hit four doubles in 17 playoff games.

This year, Lukes has dealt with injuries including vertigo that have limited him to just 52 games so far, and he’s been amazing since returning from the IL. On the season, he’s slashing .296/.347/.420 with 12 extra-base hits and a 116 wRC+, making him a very valuable player on the Jays’ roster. Toronto might have to consider moving on from him, however, due to the excess of outfield talent they’ve had to manage this season.

Lukes, along with some other players that will be discussed further in this article, have been fighting for playing time with the likes of Daulton Varsho, Myles Straw, George Springer (primary DH), and Yohendrick Piñango. The reason Lukes might be more appealing than some of these other names is the fact that he earns around league-minimum salary this year ($808.5k) and has three remaining arbitration-eligible seasons following this year. This might make him very appealing for other teams looking for good hitters down the stretch.

However, this could also work against Lukes being traded, as he’s affordable and consistent. He just needs to stay healthy and maybe Toronto will consider keeping him.

Jesús Sánchez, OF

Another outfielder that could be on Toronto’s trade block is Jesús Sánchez, who is a free agent following the end of the 2027 season. Sánchez was acquired by the Blue Jays in an offseason trade from the Houston Astros in exchange for fellow outfielder Joey Loperfido and he’s been one of their best offensive producers this season. Through his first 73 games, he’s slashed .274/.316/.437 with seven home runs, 29 RBI, 14 doubles, and a 107 wRC+.

Sánchez brings a powerful bat that crushes right-handed pitching, as he’s slashed .293/.335/.473 and hit all 7 of his home runs against righties this season. When he’s on, he’s one of the best hitters in the Jays’ lineup, but he could be moved to bring in more assistance on the pitching front.

He is arbitration-eligible for the 2027 season so any team acquiring Sánchez will likely get more than just a few months of his services. While Sánchez is certainly a valuable hitter for the Blue Jays, they just have too many outfielders and he’s proving to be unreliable defensively (-7 FRV, -6 OAA).

Unless he can prove himself to be worthy of a starting spot, the Jays would be better off dealing him to bolster their rotation instead of leaving him as a $6.8 million platoon bat that hardly faces lefties. Toronto can make up for the loss of a player like Sánchez a lot easier than they can continue with an ineffective rotation, so this could certainly be the direction Toronto heads in.

Davis Schneider, INF/OF

Davis Schneider has been a hotly-contested player among Blue Jays fans this season, as he’s absolutely a fan favourite but can’t seem to find consistent playing time at the MLB level. In previous years, he’s proven himself worthy of holding an MLB roster spot but he just hasn’t hit his groove yet in 2026. Schneider is slashing .153/.282/.296 with only three home runs and 12 RBI, making for a minuscule 67 wRC+ and -0.4 fWAR.

Among players with at least 115 PA this season, Schneider’s 29 total bases are the sixth-lowest in all of baseball and the fourth-lowest in the American League. He’s spent plenty of time at the Triple-A level since Toronto’s plethora of outfielders has left him without a starting spot, and he had one of the most interesting stat-lines in his time there.

In 65 PA for Triple-A Buffalo this year, Schneider hit just .194 but had an on-base percentage of .538 thanks to a ridiculous 38.5% walk rate. He’s always been above-average in his ability to draw free passes, but if he were to maintain this at the MLB level he’d quite literally be one of the greatest hitters ever. Obviously this wouldn’t happen, but this is just to speak to the duality of Davis Schneider. He’s either red-hot and can’t get out or he can’t make contact with anything and that’s keeping him from a consistent spot on the Jays.

Schneider has three more years of team control (arbitration eligibility) following the 2026 season and could certainly be used in a trade to net Toronto some more pitching help. They’ve dealt with so many injuries to their rotation this year that they desperately need to go out and trade for a starter at the deadline. Although it would certainly hurt for Blue Jays fans to not hear ‘Pink Pony Club’ playing every game to signify Schneider’s plate appearances, it might be a move that needs to be made.

The results are going to need to see an uptick if Schneider’s going to find himself as a valuable trade chip, but he’s shown glimpses of promise over the years. At the very least, he could be included in a trade involving other pieces.

Closing Thoughts

The Toronto Blue Jays have an intriguing next few weeks ahead that will decide whether they’ll make or break their 2026 season. While they are still the reigning American League Champions, there’s going to have to be some big changes in their performances in the near future if they want a chance at being contenders.

Last year’s Blue Jays were intimidating because of their relentless ability to wittle down their opponents in all areas of the game, but this year’s Blue Jays seem to only be able to do one thing right at a time. When their offense is going strong, their pitching falls apart; when their pitching is solid they can’t score a run. It’ll be very interesting to see what the next month or so have in store for the Blue Jays, and any of these players listed above could be dealt to improve their team at the deadline.

All of these players are good, solid, and valuable MLB options, but Toronto just simply doesn’t have the roster space to hold all of them, especially when they’re lacking in other areas like their starting rotation.