Low-Risk High-Reward Trade Brings Another Starter to Blue Jays Roster
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Every single season, it always comes down to the wire regarding moving players at the trade deadline. It is in the final days that moves officially start happening, as teams have a better idea of whether their playoff hopes are still alive.
While others are more certain about their destiny, teams like the Toronto Blue Jays continue to flirt with the bottom wild-card spot and are struggling to decide if they will be either buyers or sellers in the coming hours.
However, the Jays dropped a bit of a hint mid-game Sunday afternoon when they nabbed starting pitcher Jameson Taillon from the Chicago Cubs. At first thought, this would be a pretty aggressive move by the front office.
Well, not necessarily.
Before this season, Taillon had been one of the better and more consistent arms in the game, but he has struggled so much for Chicago in 2026 that he was recently designated for assignment. So, Toronto sure didn't have to give up much to get him.
The two ball clubs announced that Taillon was headed to Toronto in exchange for cash considerations or a player that would be named at another time.
That being said, if Taillon looks like he has for most of his career, then this was a steal for the Blue Jays, and if he continues to put squiggles on the board, then the front office won't sweat it too much.
One thing to consider, though, is that if Taillon is joining the starting rotation, someone is likely moving before 6 p.m. ET on Monday. Will it be Kevin Gausman? Shane Bieber? Someone else? Only time will tell.
The Highs and Lows of Jameson Taillon
This year has been quite the anomaly for the 34-year-old veteran as he seemingly has turned into quite the home run machine, allowing 25 long balls in his 15 starts. But somehow, someway, his ERA is still hovering below 6.00, which is somewhat of a miracle.
It is somewhat painful to even look at his stat line on the season, especially as of late, which led to the shocking DFA. But it is really easy to get hopeful about what a change of scenery could ultimately do for Taillon, who has been pretty dang solid for most of his career.
Even with a 5.92 ERA with the Cubs the last few months, which skews some stats, Taillon's career totals since making his debut back in 2016 are more than respectable:
- 84-66 Overall Record
- 3.99 ERA
- 1.20 WHIP
- .249 Opponent's Batting Average
At the end of the day, sometimes all it takes is a new organization to turn things around. Taillon couldn't get out of a rut on the bump with Chicago, but maybe he can flip his year upside down with Toronto.
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Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.