The Toronto Blue Jays are expected to be one of the few sellers ahead of the August 3 MLB trade deadline.
Toronto is expected to trade the pending free agents like Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, George Springer, Daulton Varsho, and Max Scherzer. Yet, Blue Jays analyst Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reported that Toronto could also flip Myles Straw to a playoff team to be their fourth outfielder and potential defensive replacement.
“Myles Straw has an $8 million team option for ‘27 with a $1.75 million buyout,” Matheson wrote. “While he’s beloved in the clubhouse, a great defender and valuable on the bases, his .576 OPS makes it a tough call for what is essentially a $6.25 million decision. …
“If Toronto is already leaning “no” on that option, then Straw could become another trade candidate. Remember, last postseason, Straw appeared in 15 games, but he only started one of them. There would be a team out there in need of that same, late-game option on the bases and in the outfield.”
As Matheson notes, if the Blue Jays aren’t going to pick up the option, trading Straw makes sense. He can serve as a defensive replacement and pinch-runner for teams in the playoffs, which is always needed.
Straw is hitting .213 with 3 home runs and 16 RBIs. The Blue Jays acquired him in January of 2025 for international signing pool money in hopes of signing Roki Sasaki, but he chose the Dodgers. Straw, however, has been an impact player for Toronto.
Blue Jays Likely Sellers
Toronto needed to get hot after the All-Star break, but it’s been the opposite.
The Blue Jays dropped two of three to the Boston Red Sox, which seemingly ended any hope Toronto had.
“We’ve got to string it together,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “We said it’s a big series coming into this and they take two out of three. That’s the bottom line. There were some good things, but just not enough.”
It’s a disappointing season for the Blue Jays as they made it to Game 7 of the World Series last year. Yet, they took a massive step back and are now expected to be sellers ahead of the trade deadline.
Toronto Expected to Trade an Outfielder
The Blue Jays have a surplus of outfielders and are expected to move some of them.
Blue Jays insider Ben Nicholson-Smith revealed Toronto could look to deal some veteran outfielders to open spots up for internal options to see what they have.
“With Jesus Sanchez now rehabbing, the Blue Jays’ outfield logjam is about to become even more pronounced,” Nicholson-Smith wrote. “If GM Ross Atkins is going to pull off a need-for-need trade, it’ll make sense to consider dealing from a group including Sanchez, Daulton Varsho, Yohendrick Piñango, Nathan Lukes, Myles Straw and even George Springer.
“All except Varsho and Springer are under team control beyond 2026, but Sanchez may become a non-tender candidate over the winter and Straw and Lukes have proven how well they fit as complementary players on contending teams. Plus, if the Blue Jays are turning their attention to 2027, they could use playing time for the likes of Piñango, Sean Keys and perhaps Jay Harry down the stretch. With that in mind, Varsho and Sanchez are the most obvious trade candidates here.”
The Blue Jays are 48-58.
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