The Blue Jays Should be MLB’s Most Active Deadline Buyers
The 2025 trade deadline is the most pivotal one for the Blue Jays in years. We break down trade needs, chips, targets, and more.
Expectations around the industry were that this year’s iteration of the Toronto Blue Jays would be better than it was last season, but still not quite enough to jump to the top of the standings in the American League East.
Baseball being the hilariously unpredictable game that it is has those very same Blue Jays in first place with a four-game cushion over the division rival New York Yankees. Having a 93.9% chance to make the playoffs (H/T FanGraphs) as the trade deadline nears is a fantastic feeling for a Blue Jays team that was written off by everyone under the sun before the 2025 regular season kicked off.
Right now, things are going pretty well north of the border. Seven of the most oft-used nine position players on the team have a wRC+ north of 100 (the other two are at 95 and 93), while Davis Schneider and Tyler Heineman, two frequently used backups, are both well above 100 themselves.
On the pitching side of things, Eric Lauer’s been a revelation in the rotation while Yariel Rodriguez, Braydon Fisher, and Brendon Little have been standout performers in the bullpen.
Point being, this team is looking solid from top to bottom. However, there are a few pieces missing from this team. If this is going to be the year they finally are around to play some meaningful baseball deep in October, the approaching trade deadline should be a busy one.
Let’s talk trade targets, trade chips, and how the Blue Jays can best set themselves up for a deep playoff run.
All stats updated prior to games on Thursday, July 24
The Time for the Blue Jays To Go All-in Is Now
Like I said, this team is rolling. Not only are they 30-14 since June 1 (second-best in baseball behind the Milwaukee Brewers), but the Blue Jays have also got the second-best wRC+ since that date (114) with the most runs scored (234), highest batting average (.272), highest OBP (.340) and most fWAR by over a full win (10.1).
Since June 1, the Blue Jays have six hitters who qualify for league-wide leaderboards. Of that bunch, five of them (George Springer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alejandro Kirk, Addison Barger, Bo Bichette) have a wRC+ of 114 or higher with Kirk posting 1.9 fWAR and Barger hitting 10 home runs across just 41 games.
What makes the offensive clinic the Blue Jays put on on a nightly basis much more impressive is the fact that they’re on fire without their biggest offensive acquisition from this past offseason: Anthony Santander. The switch-hitter looked like a shell of the slugger he once was before hitting the injured list, and now it’s unclear whether or not he returns in 2025 at all.
Just imagine what a healthy Santander could be doing in the middle of this lineup right now. Chills.
Admittedly, the Blue Jays’ pitching staff hasn’t quite been as dominant as the team’s offense during this hot stretch of play. Since the beginning of June, Blue Jays pitchers have combined to post a 4.16 ERA, which is good for just 14th in the league. Strikeouts are elevated in that time (fifth with an 8.95 K/9) but unfortunately walks are as well (25th with 3.54 BB/9).
Lauer has been money (2.80 ERA, 3.34 FIP in 61 innings across 15 outings), but Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt, and Max Scherzer have been so-so and at times quite a bit more unreliable than you’d like to see.
Perhaps you can see where we’re heading in terms of what kind of deadline needs they’ve got this year.
Where Are the Biggest Needs?
Yes, the pitching staff comes with its fair share of warts, but arms are not going to be the only roster spots the Blue Jays should look to upgrade. A splash for a player like Eugenio Suarez, who is widely regarded as the best-available hitter at this year’s deadline, feels like a longshot. But that doesn’t mean Ross Atkins and Co. are just going to sit on their hands.
On the pitching staff, a top-tier starter would go a long way to alleviate some concerns about the current rotation’s inconsistency. It helps that Alek Manoah should be back for a stretch run, but it’s anyone’s guess what he provides.
In the bullpen, the Blue Jays lost Ryan Burr, Yimi Garcia, Nick Sandlin, and Paxton Schultz all within a short timeframe. That pushed an inconsistent Mason Fluharty back into the big-league bullpen, as well as unproven commodities like Tommy Nance (who at times looked decent last year) and left-hander Justin Bruihl. Having the ‘pen hit by so many injuries makes the bullpen look like the absolute biggest need for the Blue Jays.
Top Blue Jays Trade Chips
We’ll get to who the Blue Jays should (and shouldn’t) be looking at in a minute. First, let’s talk about the club’s most moveable assets.
As of right now, the organization is sitting on a solid amount of MLB-ready hitters as well as promising-but-still-far-off pitching prospects down on the farm. The former looks to be the top realistic way the Blue Jays maneuver through this year’s deadline.
Nathan Lukes, Joey Loperfido, Jonatan Clase, and Alan Roden are all valuable outfielders who could fill roles on teams this year and beyond. Lukes has impressed at the big-league level, but he’s the oldest of the bunch by a long shot. The other three are still trying to find their footing at the big league level, but there’s a boatload of potential here, especially with a player like Roden.
Roden entered this season with sky-high expectations after transitioning from lesser-known prospect to the Blue Jays’ apparent next-big-thing in the outfield. He’s struggled to find his way in the big leagues but he’s a contact-hitting machine with power that’s coming along nicely and one of the best eyes at the plate in Toronto’s system. If the Blue Jays can find a legitimate upgrade to any spot in their pitching staff, don’t be surprised if Roden is part of the cost.
Either way, there’s going to have to be some sort of give here once Daulton Varsho, and hopefully Santander, return from the injured list.
Will Wagner and Orelvis Martinez haven’t gotten huge shots in the big leagues yet for the Blue Jays, but they could also be put on the table in trade talks. Wagner impressed in a 23-game showing down the stretch last year for the Blue Jays, while Martinez is still super young and teeming with potential, even if a PED suspension stunted his development last year and he’s experienced some lasting effects from that this season.
Don’t Hug the Prospects
All of the players mentioned above have already made their big-league debuts. Where the Blue Jays really find meat on the bones of their trade chip pool is further down the depth chart in the farm system.
With their current contention window wide open, there are no players that should be kept out of trade discussions for the right pieces. That includes Trey Yesavage, Jake Bloss, Khal Stephen, Johnny King, Arjun Nimmala, and Kendry Rojas.
Prospects can be so finicky, of that there is little doubt. How many times over the years have we seen can’t-miss prospects fly up the minor league ranks only to flop at the big league level? That’s always a huge risk, and it’s hard to really know what you’ve got until they’re on the big stage.
The Blue Jays must have that mindset while sifting through this year’s deadline. If a player like Joe Ryan, Dylan Cease, or even Suarez is available to your organization, why wouldn’t you entertain the idea?
While many Blue Jays fans will have troubles admitting it, Ross Atkins is not completely incompetent. He’s not going to trade top-tier prospects for pennies on the dollar. However, he also knows that it takes parting with future talent to acquire present talent. Just look at the Berrios trade as proof. Fans were shocked to see Austin Martin and Simeon Woods-Richardson sent packing at the time, but where are they now?
Ideal Blue Jays Trade Deadline Targets
Alright, now this is where the fun begins.
We’re going to take a look around the league and identify some of the top trade pieces the Blue Jays should be looking into. The organization is in a spot where they have the means to swing moves for more than one impactful player that will be available in the coming week-plus.
Let’s jump in.
Position Players
This section is going to be a little bit shorter than the pitcher one, simply based off of roster needs. What the Blue Jays lineup could use is a hitter who can handle left-handed pitching. Aside from Ernie Clement, Guerrero, and Schneider turning into Barry Bonds against southpaws, Myles Straw, Barger, Santander, Lukes, Roden, Wagner, and Varsho have all been dreadful against lefties.
I should also address the biggest name missing from the list below first in Eugenio Suarez. While he is easily the best-available hitter in this year’s trade market, he’s going to have some playoff hopefuls knocking down the Diamondbacks’ door for his services coming up soon here. The Blue Jays, at least in theory, have pieces that could interest Arizona, but that’d require them to completely gut the farm for one player.
In short, landing Suarez would prevent them from making impactful acquisitions to help other spots on the roster. To some, that may be worth it. To me, it feels like multiple moves of slightly less magnitude than a Suarez trade would ultimately be more helpful to this team.
Willi Castro
One of the most underrated yet successful utility players in the game, Castro is playing out an expiring contract and could be had by the Blue Jays for relatively cheap. The Twins don’t appear to be ready to lean into full-blown selling mode, but they’d be wise to at least consider moving their rental pieces.
Castro, 28, has played 10 or more games at four positions this year (2B, LF, RF, 3B) and has also picked up the occasional appearance at shortstop and center field. He has the versatility the Blue Jays – and every other club in the game – adore, and a bat to go with it.
This year, Castro has 10 home runs with 27 RBI and 45 runs scored. He’s also walking more than he ever has previously in his career, alongside full-season career-highs in AVG, OBP, SLG, and wRC+. He’s a switch-hitter who hits both righties and lefties well and could be a jack-of-all-trades type of utility guy the Blue Jays need to do a little bit of everything for them.
Again, the fact that he’s on an expiring contract will make him more gettable for Toronto.
Ramon Laureano
Please, Orioles, just throw in the towel.
At 44-57 with a 15.5-game deficit in the AL East and 9.5-game deficit in the Wild Card race, the Orioles’ season seems like it’s finished.
Outfielder Ramon Laureano is having a career year, and he’s one of many players on this team that will be a free agent in a few months. The 31-year-old has 13 home runs and 41 RBI through 74 games this season while carrying an elevated walk rate and lowered strikeout rate from where he’s typically been throughout his career.
With a .279 average and 136 wRC+ to his name, Laureano is having his best season in years. He’s got a ton of red on his Baseball Savant page, and his 99th percentile Arm Value and 86th percentile Arm Strength tells me he’d be a perfect fit for the Blue Jays in right field down the stretch, especially if Santander isn’t coming back.
Luis Robert Jr.
Alright, alright, relax. It’s true that everyone on this list has performed at a much higher level than Robert has this year, but there’s at least something of a method to the madness. Take a breath.
It’s true that Robert doesn’t look much like the player that hit 38 home runs with a 129 wRC+ back in 2023, and that his full-season numbers this year have looked rough. However, it’s also true that he’s been swinging a hotter stick since the first of June. In that time, he’s hit five home runs with 21 RBI and a 114 wRC+.
Robert also absolutely annihilates left-handed pitching. In fact, he’s actually one of MLB’s best against southpaws this season. His 165 wRC+ and .966 OPS against left-handers are 12th in baseball.
Looking at Robert’s season-long numbers, it’d be easy to get turned off. However, he’d be an upgrade over Myles Straw, as he basically does everything Straw does but better. If Robert works out in Toronto, he could easily be the Blue Jays’ left fielder next year alongside Varsho in center.
If he doesn’t, it’s worth noting that he’s got a pair of $20 million club options for next year and the year after on his contract.
Don’t forget how players tend to do after they get out from under the White Sox. Just take a look at Gavin Sheets and Andrew Vaughn this year.
Josh Naylor
If the Blue Jays were to say “screw it, we need a bat,” and did so without caring where he played or what side of the plate he hit from, Josh Naylor would be the perfect fit. The 28-year-old is yet another rental piece, but he’s a complete hitter that would fit great into the thick of things in the Blue Jays lineup.
Naylor, a Canadian himself, isn’t quite hitting for as much power as we typically see from him, but he’s made up for that in other ways. He may have “only” 11 home runs to date, but he’s walking more than he ever has before, he’s cut his strikeouts down to career-low marks, and he’s hitting .292 with an OPS north of .800. For a player who’s usually a home run-hitting slugger, these are great traits to have in a year where the power is down.
The Blue Jays have Guerrero at first base and Springer occupying the designated hitter spot on most nights, but that shouldn’t stop the team’s decision makers from pursuing someone like Naylor. He’s a first baseman by trade but he could very easily be shuffled between first and DH with some days off against left-handed pitching.
Pitchers
David Bednar (RP)
It’s been a bumpy ride for Bednar over in Pittsburgh, but it seems his time on the Pirates is coming to an end. The right-hander has at times been erratic as the Buccos’ primary closer, but he’s turned his season around in a huge way and now represents one of their top trade chips. Since the team (still) isn’t contending, Bednar’s gotta go.
The 30-year-old was at one point demoted to the minor leagues this year, but he’s been electric since returning to his role on the big league staff. Bednar now sports a 2.31 ERA and 2.04 FIP, which is fourth in the majors amongst qualifying relievers. He’s got a ton of experience as a back-end relief pitcher and is a multi-time All-Star. He’s got team control beyond the current season via arbitration, but it’s still unlikely he’d cost the Blue Jays an arm and a leg to acquire.
Jhoan Duran (RP)
You ever have a player you just look at and say, “oh yeah, that guy’s got ‘Blue Jays’ written all over him.”? For me, Duran is that player.
One of the best relief pitchers in baseball who will cost an arm and a leg, Duran a flamethrower with a dominant arsenal currently eating back-end innings for the Twins. With a fair bit of inconsistency from Jeff Hoffman as their current full-time closer, the Blue Jays could turn to Minnesota to get one of the best-available upgrades at the position.
Duran’s arsenal is led by a triple-digit four-seam fastball that he pairs with a high-90s splitter and high-80s knuckle curveball. He pairs the high heat with slower-but-still-fast breaking stuff in a way that few in the game can, and he is a rare breed of reliever that induces a ton of whiffs while simultaneously inducing groundballs at a high rate.
This year, Duran has 46 appearances under his belt with a 1.94 ERA and 2.40 FIP. His K/9 is under 10 for the first time in his career, but that hasn’t stopped him from being filthy on the mound. He’s also controllable through the 2027 campaign, which will only boost his trade value, but perhaps the Blue Jays could look to package him with Castro and kill two birds with one stone?
Gregory Soto (RP)
Another player who could conceivably be a part of a package deal to the Blue Jays, Soto isn’t quite on the same level of domination as Duran is, but he’d still be a significant upgrade to this team’s bullpen.
In what’s his first full year on the Orioles, Soto, a 30-year-old left-hander, has a 4.08 ERA and 3.40 ERA through 35.1 innings of work. He’s a high-strikeout arm that throws a pair of high-90s fastballs that go nicely with an incredible slider that batters have hit just .189 against this year with a whiff percentage of almost 47.
Soto, a pending free agent, shouldn’t cost the Blue Jays much in a trade – even if he’s paired with Laureano – but the duo would be worth letting go of one of the aforementioned MLB-ready outfielders for.
Michael Soroka (RP)
Soroka, another Canadian, has been a popular target amongst Blue Jays fans for years, even though his numbers haven’t really jumped off the page since 2019. The right-hander has dealt with a ton of injuries over the course of his career, but he showed so much promise after a role change last year that the Blue Jays should be looking into what it’d take to pry him and his expiring contract off the Nationals’ hands.
The Nats have used Soroka as a starting pitcher this year, and ethe results have been “meh.” In 14 starts, he’s got a 5.10 ERA and 4.05 FIP. His ERA+ of 79 puts him about 21% below league-average on the mound, which is less than ideal.
Where the potential intrigue lies with the soon-to-be 28-year-old is how he performed on last year’s White Sox after a shift to the bullpen. If the Blue Jays were to acquire Soroka, that’s exactly where he’d be placed, so take note.
Last season, the 6-foot-5 hurler wound up making 16 relief appearances in the second half and the results were jaw-dropping to say the least. He wound up with a 2.75 ERA in relief across 36 innings of work, striking out 60 batters in that time. Yes, he took his 4.9 K/9 as a starter last year and struck out 15 batters per nine out of the ‘pen.
For those curious, there are zero pitchers this year with 30 or more innings pitched that have a K/9 of 15 or higher. Soroka will likely be dirt cheap, and the Blue Jays should be drooling over what him and his insane slurve could do out of their ‘pen. This year, batters are hitting just .117 off of the pitch with a whiff rate of nearly 39%. That’s resulted in Soroka ranking in the 96th percentile in Breaking Run Value.
The right-hander is absolutely worth the risk to see if he can recapture some of that magic as a reliever on a contending team.
Dylan Cease (SP)
Both Buster Olney and Jeff Passan of ESPN have recently put Dylan Cease out into the trade-rumor world as a possible candidate to be moved in the next week or so. The right-hander is a pending free agent, and while the Padres are still very much looking to contend in the NL West this year, moving him would give them a bit of depserately-needed financial flexibility to upgrade the rest of their roster.
The Padres are looking around the league at other starting pitchers, so it’d make sense for them to offload the roughly $5 million they still owe Cease and immediately replace him with another arm for their stretch run. Sure, it’s a bit of a complicated scenario, but it’s one the Blue Jays should be monitoring with great interest.
Cease, 29, has a 4.64 ERA that doesn’t look great on the surface, but his 3.49 FIP and 3.35 SIERA tell a much better story about his season. He’s currently sporting an 11.40 K/9 (third-best amongst qualifying starters in baseball), which is exactly what the Blue Jays need more of in their rotation. All of the current starters on the staff have the capability to strike out seven or more batters on any given night, but Cease does that regularly, which would be huge to add to this team’s rotation.
Again, some of Cease’s surface-level numbers this year don’t jump off the page, but he’s allowing hits and home runs at roughly the same rate as the Blue Jays’ current starters while striking out way more than any of them. He’d fit right in. Even if he’s not controllable beyond this year, the Blue Jays would be foolish not to give up a pair of solid prospects to land him.
Seth Lugo (SP)
Hey look, another pending *free agent!
*Lugo has a $15 million player option for next season that he feels highly unlikely to exercise
The Blue Jays need consistency out of their starting rotation, and there have been few arms as consistent over the past few years than Lugo. He’s a 35-year-old who’s only in his third season since converting back to a full-time starter, but he’s been money.
Lugo was an All-Star last season and wound up finishing second in the AL Cy Young voting. He’s unique in that he doesn’t strike a ton of batters out and doesn’t throw triple-digits, but instead he uses a gigantic pitch mix to keep the opposition off balance and keep hitters fooled.
While it’s been a moving target over the years, Lugo’s current repertoire consists of five pitches he’s thrown 10% of the time or more this year, with five more representing his lesser utilized offerings. Yes, this year Lugo has thrown a total of 10 different pitches.
Through it all, the right-hander has a 2.94 ERA and just recently had a month of June that saw him post a 1.26 ERA through five starts.
The Royals are said to be looking for young and controllable outfield help in exchange for some of their pitching assets at this year’s deadline. Roden, Loperifdo, RJ Schreck or Yohendrick Pinango all fit the bill beautifully.
Players to Avoid
Zac Gallen
There are always teams who see struggling trade chips and think they’re the ones that can fix said players. The Blue Jays should try and avoid this with Gallen, simply because he’s a rental who won’t come cheap and the team needs him to be at this best down the stretch.
This year, Gallen hasn’t looked like himself. The Blue Jays would be taking a significant risk just by trading for him, and I’m not positive it’d be worth it.
Through 21 starts, the right-hander has a 5.58 ERA and 4.86 FIP while continuing to see a downward trend on his strikeout rates and a slight uptick in his walk rates. He’s up to 3.42 BB/9 after being down to 2.01 as recently as 2023. Similarly, his HR/9 is at 1.71 after being under 1.00 in each of the previous three years.
If you squint hard enough, you can see that there’s still some value in Gallen’s arm this year, but the fact is that he hasn’t had an ERA below 4.88 in a single month this season. For a Blue Jays team with serious aspirations for a deep playoff run, there’s not really time for a pricey lottery ticket like this one.
Mitch Keller
Rumor has it the Blue Jays are one of the teams showing interest in Keller, so there’s at least a tiny bit of smoke here. However, I’m far from convinced he’s going to be the answer to the Blue Jays’ questions this year.
Over the years, Keller has been durable, having made no less than 30 appearances in a single season since 2021, but he’s decidedly average. Since he’s under control through the 2028 season, the Pirates can (and will) ask for a hefty return for Keller’s services.
A look at his career numbers and even what he’s done this year will show you that Keller’s a decent starting pitcher. He doesn’t possess many traits that will blow you away, but he’s been right around league-average for years and was even an All-Star back in 2023.
A look just a little bit deeper, though, will show you that Keller is and always has been dreadful in the second half. In fact, he’s got a career 5.02 ERA in 58 second-half starts. His best months have historically been May through July, but he’s got a 5.75 ERA in 25 career starts in the month of August and he’s at 4.30 in 29 career starts in September/October.
On a year-by-year basis, Keller had a 5.41 second-half ERA in 2021, a surprising 3.09 in 2022, 5.59 in 2023 and 5.65 in 2024. He’s only made one start in this year’s second half so it’s still way too early to tell which way it’ll go, but history shows that he’s not an arm that holds up very well as the season marches on.
Similarly to Gallen, why would the Blue Jays want to target an expensive pitcher who will probably fall apart when the games start to matter the most? Pass.
Ryan McMahon
The Blue Jays could use some more thump in their lineup, and McMahon has been a name that’s been connected to Toronto a few times over the years, but they need to steer clear. Entering the day, he leads the NL in strikeouts (127) and is hitting just .217 with a .717 OPS.
McMahon has been one of the Rockies’ more well-known hitters since he debuted nine years ago, but he hasn’t had an above-average season in his career while calling Coors Field home. There are some red flags for sure.
If the Blue Jays were to acquire McMahon, he wouldn’t be a pure rental. In fact, he’s under control through the 2027 season. The power boost would be nice, but Blue Jays fans would grow sick of the constant strikeouts in a heartbeat. He’s a slick fielding defender who can play multiple positions around the infield, but it’s hard to justify him taking at-bats away from Barger, Clement, or even Andres Gimenez over the next few years.
Closing Thoughts
In case you couldn’t tell from the gigantic wall of text above that this year’s deadline is a pivotal one for the Blue Jays, it really, really is.
The club elected to lock up Kirk and Guerrero for the foreseeable future, and they’re not going to be content with sitting on their hands while the primes of their best players are wasted. Not to mention the fact that Bichette is nearing free agency himself, so there’s some added pressure there to put a deep postseason run together while the band is still intact.
The Blue Jays’ most glaring needs are on the pitching staff, especially in the bullpen. However, there’s still room for another bat to upgrade some of the weaker spots in their current lineup that are occupied by the likes of Lukes and Straw.
Of all the targets listed above, I lean most towards a deal where the Blue Jays can acquire both a pitcher and a position player in a single deal. Landing a Duran and Castro from the Twins would be great, but the cost will be high. Landing a Soto and Laureano would be great as well, and it’ll be cheaper than the other deal, but you’re also going to be getting a bit less value.
The time for Atkins and his fellow decision makers to go out and make their splash is right now. With a farm system full of budding talent that could easily be used to land a big name or two, they’ve got to make their push.
Written by
Eric Treuden (troy-din) has covered baseball for years for multiple different outlets including FanSided, Yardbarker, and Wisconsin Sports Heroics. He recently was the editor for Jays…