The Toronto Blue Jays are expected to be sellers ahead of the August 3 MLB Trade Deadline.
Toronto made it to the World Series last year, but this season, the Blue Jays have struggled. Although Toronto will likely sell, they also could look to acquire players who have years of control to help their 2027 roster and beyond.
With that, Blue Jays analyst Mitch Bannon of The Athletic predicts Toronto will acquire Brenton Doyle from the Colorado Rockies to be the long-term answer at center field.
Blue Jays acquire:
Rockies acquire:
- Sean Keys
The one-for-one swap is an intriguing one. Doyle can be the Blue Jays’ starting center fielder for years to come. Keys, meanwhile, is a left-handed power bat. But he’s blocked in Toronto as he plays first base and third base, which are handled by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Kazuma Okamoto.
Doyle is a defensive-first center fielder like Daulton Varsho, yet Toronto could look to trade Varsho, leaving an opening. Varsho is a pending free agent also, and a return to Toronto seems unlikely, so the Blue Jays need to find their long-term center fielder.
Doyle is under team control through the 2029 MLB season. He won the Gold ,Glove Award in 2023 and 2024, as he’s a stellar defensive center fielder. He’s struggling at the plate this year as he’s hitting .208 with 1 home run and 4 RBIs in 43 games. But his career-high is 23 home runs and 72 RBIs.
Keys, meanwhile, made his MLB debut earlier this season. He’s the 15th-ranked prospect and would add some power to the Rockies lineup. He’s hitting .167 with 1 home run and 5 RBIs this season with the Blue Jays.
Analyst Explains Blue Jays-Rockies Trade
The proposed deal between Toronto and Colorado makes sense as both teams fill an area of need.
Colorado can move on from Doyle and add a young power-hitting corner infielder, while the Blue Jays find their long-term answer at center field.
“Just because the Jays sell doesn’t mean they won’t acquire big leaguers to help the current core,” Bannon wrote. “Two years removed from a 3.9 WAR season, Doyle has lost his centre-field job in Colorado, hitting .207 amid an injury-filled season. He’s a potential non-tender candidate after this year, but the Jays could send one of their many defensively limited lefty hitters to take a shot on Doyle finding form down the stretch.
“When healthy, Doyle is quite similar to Varsho, grading out as one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball with the ability to hit 15 or more homers and steal 20 bases. He’s entering his second year of arbitration and is under team control through the 2029 season.”
The deal makes sense for both sides, as Keys doesn’t fit well in Toronto’s lineup, while Doyle could use a fresh start elsewhere.
Toronto Likely Sellers
The Blue Jays needed to go on a run after the All-Star break to avoid being sellers.
Yet, Toronto has done the exact opposite. Now the Blue Jays are expected to be sellers at the deadline. That is frustrating for Kevin Gausman, whose name has come up in rumors.
“It’s impossible to ignore nowadays with social media and the amount of people that are here right now,” Gausman said after Tuesday’s loss. “We kind of all know what’s going on. Unfortunately, we knew we needed to come out of the [second-half] gate strong, and we really haven’t. We just haven’t played very well lately.”
Toronto is 46-56.
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