These Stars Could Become Major Trade Deadline Targets if the Blue Jays Become Sellers
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It's about time to have that discussion.
With less than a month to go before the August 3 MLB Trade Deadline and the underwhelming 42-49 Toronto Blue Jays mired in a 3-10 funk over their past 13 games, it's no longer too early to discuss the club as potential sellers rather than playoff-contending buyers.
The Blue Jays remain just 3.5 games out of an AL wild card spot, but stretches of consistently strong play are few and far between for a team that is now largely healthy and without viable excuses. At the same time, they are playing some of their worst baseball of the season, having been outscored by a whopping 25-1 run differential over their past three games.
While trade speculation has followed the reigning American League champions for much of the season, now the possibility of selling off assets must be considered if 2026 continues to be a lost season in Toronto.
No one involved with the Blue Jays wants to face a scenario in which the club begins to look ahead to 2027, but president Mark Shapiro and GM Ross Atkins need to plan for such a scenario.
If things continue to play out as they have thus far, there are some big-name players that the front office will have to consider parting ways with.
Kevin Gausman
If pending free agent Kevin Gausman makes his way onto the trade market, he could easily slot in right behind Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal as the second-best starting pitcher available.
Gausman has been rather shaky of late, but that doesn't take away from the fact that the 35-year-old is a reliable, proven big-game pitcher.
In five starts and six total appearances during the 2025 postseason, he went 2-3 with a 2.93 ERA. While he may be slowing down a bit in his mid-thirties, he has been a consistent frontline mainstay for Toronto over the course of his five-year contract.
Other Blue Jays Pitchers
Barring the availability of someone like Dylan Cease or Louis Varland, Gausman would presumably be the trade asset that nets the biggest return among Blue Jays pitchers.
However, Atkins could still try to extract assets from another team by dangling one of their other talented-but-flawed veteran pending free agent starting pitchers.
Shane Bieber has struggled in his much-anticipated return from injury, but carries a Cy Young pedigree. Max Scherzer has demonstrated signs that age may have finally caught up to the 41-year-old, but Toronto fans know that he thrives under the brightest lights and biggest pressure.
Patrick Corbin has pitched his way out of the rotation, but still could hold appeal to a depth-hungry club.
Daulton Varsho
It is believed that the Blue Jays are hoping to work out a contract extension with Daulton Varsho. Depending on how those talks are going, however, there's little doubt that the star center fielder will draw interest on the trade market.
Varsho offers elite fielding to go along with speed, power and a left-handed bat. He also just celebrated his 30th birthday and presumably has several peak years left.
On the downside, he has had a tough string of injury luck and can be inconsistent at the plate. Still, there's enough good for teams to be lined up for Varsho - if Toronto considers a move.
George Springer
Whether it is the Blue Jays or another team, someone is going to take a rather big risk on George Springer's next contract. That, however, isn't necessarily the concern of a club that may consider trading for the 36-year-old slugger.
As he enters the final months of his contract, Springer still brings some offensive value. His 2026 numbers aren't what he had hoped they'd be, but he remains just one year removed from posting a .959 OPS thanks to a 32-homer 2025 campaign. Plus, postseason aspirants may still be intrigued by his four home runs, 10 extra-base hits and 10 RBI in the playoffs last spring.
Who knows, maybe Toronto gets hot and goes on a run that carries them right back into the playoff picture, leaving behind any talk of being sellers.
For now, though, Shapiro, Atkins and company must face the grim reality of a possible playoff absence that could necessitate extracting value from pending free agents that they risk losing for nothing this winter.
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Ben Fisher is a long-time sportswriter and baseball lover, dating back to 2008, when he was a member of the media relations team for the Toronto Blue Jays. He has covered a wide range of sports for a seemingly endless array of publications, including The Canadian Press, Fansided and The Hockey Writers. When he isn't writing about sports, he can be found coaching his equally baseball-obsessed sons' Little League teams.