An overview of the Blue Jays trade deadline: three key plots to follow
TORONTO: In just over six weeks, the Toronto Blue Jays will enter the MLB trade deadline, which may be new for them.
The Blue Jays have been the team’s obvious choice at the deadline for the last three seasons due to their extraordinary payroll investment. Over the years, they have acquired some notable players, including as Jordan Hicks from the St. Louis Cardinals, Whit Merrifield from the Kansas City Royals, and José Berríos from the Minnesota Twins.
Prior to that, the Blue Jays were definite sellers in the summers of 2018 and 2019 as they attempted to dismantle established players like J.A. Happ, Marcus Stroman, and Josh Donaldson (who was actually dealt at the now-defunct waiver wire deadline) in order to rebuild their team around their youthful core, which included Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette.
The Blue Jays, who lost to the Milwaukee Brewers 5-4 on Wednesday, are currently in the murky center of the standings with a 33-35 record this season. They haven’t performed badly enough to be a clear selling or well enough to be a clear buyer. Despite their lackluster play, they are still just three games behind a hot third-place wild card slot.
The Blue Jays’ ability to buy, sell, or straddle the line of doing both on July 30 will depend on how they perform over the course of the next month, when their schedule becomes noticeably more challenging with series against the Cleveland Guardians, Boston Red Sox, and New York Yankees.
As we investigate future tales, let’s take those three avenues into consideration.
Will the team relocate Bichette or Guerrero if they sell?
The Blue Jays have a ton of appealing upcoming free agents they might transfer if they chose to sell after losing the postseason race.
In terms of position players, if a competitor was interested in acquiring those veterans, the Blue Jays might decide to sell either Justin Turner or Kevin Kiermaier, who are both on one-year contracts. Danny Jansen, a homegrown catcher who is also a free agent after the season, has shown to be a dependable power hitter for Toronto when he stays healthy.
