Blue Jays Have 2 Needs To Address Ahead of MLB Trade Deadline To Stay in Playoff Race

Expect the Toronto Blue Jays to aggressively pursue upgrades at these two spots.

Jun 22, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Alan Roden (18) hits a triple against the Chicago White Sox during the seventh inning in their MLB game at Rogers Centre. | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

The Toronto Blue Jays are right in the thick of the American League playoff picture with their odds of making the postseason increasing every day.

They defeated the New York Yakees in Game 1 of an incredibly important four-game series on Monday night, moving within two games of them in the standings. Winning that series would go a long way to cementing their status as playoff contenders.

As long as they have a shot at qualifying for the playoffs, you can be sure the front office will be aggressive buyers ahead of the MLB trade deadline.

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What could they be looking to upgrade?

Insider Mark Feinsand of MLB.com has shared the two positions the team could look to address in the coming weeks.

“Left field seems like the most obvious area for the Blue Jays to upgrade, though adding a controllable starter could be the top priority given the free-agent situations listed above,” Feinsand wrote.

The time to strike is now for Toronto, who has several key players set to hit free agency in a few months and a few more who are under contract only through the 2026 season.

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A controllable starter makes a lot of sense because the team has struggled to find continuity beyond Chris Bassitt, Jose Berrios and Kevin Gausman.

With Max Scherzer and Bassitt set to hit free agency after the 2025 campaign, and Gausman the following year, starting pitching is an immediate and long-term concern for the franchise.

They have to be happy about the development of recent draft picks Trey Yesavage and Khal Stephen, but they aren’t likely to help in a playoff race this year.

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In left field, the Blue Jays have already started eight different players in 2025. Rookie Alan Roden has started the most often but has a -0.1 bWAR with a .206/.279/.309 slash line and OPS+ of 65.

The player who started the second-most games, Jonatan Clase, was just optioned to Triple-A in favor of infielder Leo Jimenez.

Anthony Santander could see some time out there once he returns from injury, but he has been a negative defender throughout his career.

Left field has been the most glaring need in their lineup throughout the campaign and will be where they focus some resources toward in the coming weeks.

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