The Toronto Blue Jays are likely to be sellers at the trade deadline after the has stumbled to a losing record ahead of this year’s deadline.
The Blue Jays have a 46-52 record through the first 98 games of the season. With 64 games left, the team still has a chance to make a run and try to go back to the playoffs. But if that’s going to happen, then the Blue Jays need to rip off a win streak immediately, as they are quickly getting lost in the shuffle of the crowded American League Wild Card hunt.
With that in mind, Toronto is expected to be a seller at this year’s deadline.
Toronto Likely to Sell at the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline
As per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, look for the Blue Jays to be sellers, and not buyers, at this year’s trade deadline, which is August 3.
“Who would have imagined that the Toronto Blue Jays would be two outs away from the World Series one year, and sitting in last place in the AL East the next? They have gone from potential buyers to likely sellers at the trade deadline,” Nightengale wrote.
As the scribe noted, few would have expected the Blue Jays to be in this situation this season after the team went to the World Series last year and nearly defeated the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers to win it all.
Though the Blue Jays ultimately lost in seven games, the team went out and picked up some key pieces this offseason, such as All-Star Game starting pitcher Dylan Cease, an AL Cy Young frontrunner, and Kazuma Okamoto, who is having a fantastic rookie MLB season after coming over from Japan.
But for whatever reason, be it injuries or just underperformance, or a combination of both, the Blue Jays have been mired in inconsistency this season and have really struggled to get win streaks going, which has resulted in them having a losing record.
Who Could the Blue Jays Sell?
The Blue Jays don’t have a ton of expiring deals that they could sell, but the few they do should absolutely be traded if Toronto general manager Ross Atkins doesn’t think the season can be salvaged.
Starting pitcher Kevin Gausman would surely generate a ton of trade interest on the market, given he is a veteran pitcher who has proven that he can start big games in the playoffs. If the Blue Jays paid off the remainder of his contract this season, they could likely get a really nice prospect or two in exchange for him.
Center fielder Daulton Varsho is another player slated for free agency this offseason. Although he has regressed with his bat, he is still solid defensively in the outfield and could very well be of interest to contenders who want another outfielder.
In addition, reliever Jeff Hoffman, who still has one more season left on his deal beyond this one, should also be on the trade block if a team is looking for a high-velocity RP.
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