Blue Jays Trade Deadline Wishlist: A Number One Starter

We’re less than a week out from the trade deadline, and with a stranglehold on the top spot in the American League East, Ross Atkins and the Toronto Blue Jays front office surely have their deadline wish list solidified.

In the last iteration of this article, I mentioned Steven Kwan as a top of the market position player that the Jays could target in a blockbuster deal. Now, I want to take it to the other side of the ball, and to the next big-ticket item the Jays could be targeting at the deadline: a top of the rotation starter. 

The need for back-end bullpen help and starting pitching depth has been well covered, and the expectation is that they'll both be addressed before the deadline passes on July 31. But, as Blue Jays fans know all too well, seasons like this don’t come around often, and this could be the year to push a couple extra chips into the middle and take a bigger swing.

Shopping at the top of the position player market would certainly be that, but I think the consensus is that a more pressing need for the Jays is a high-end starter. We’re talking about the guy you’d give the ball to in the first or second game of a playoff series; a guy that slots in ahead of Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, Chris Bassitt, and Max Scherzer. I wrote earlier in the month about why it’s so important that the Jays go get a starter, and now I want to name a few guys who should be available, and could fit the Jays’ needs.

Joe Ryan
With two years of arbitration eligibility after this season, the likelihood that Ryan gets moved is pretty low. Still, given the lack of sellers, the price that controllable starting pitching goes for, and the fact that Ryan is in the midst of a career year, a contender may be willing to blow the Twins out of the water in order to get their hands on the All-Star.

It doesn’t take much analysis to tell you that Ryan’s 2.51 ERA across 19 starts is really good, and his high-strikeout, low-walk profile would add a nice mix to a rotation that allows a lot of contact. The Jays and Twins have connected on similar deals in the past—think back to the 2021 trade deadline when the Jays acquired Berríos in exchange for Simeon Woods-Richardson and Austin Martin—and it’s not crazy to think that if Ryan ends up getting moved, it’s the Jays who come over the top to land him.

Kris Bubic
Another AL Central starter having a career year that could find a new home this week, Kris Bubic would be a fun add for a contending team. Similar to Ryan, Bubic has another year of arbitration eligibility after this season, so the price tag will be high. His 2.38 ERA in 19 starts earned him his first career All-Star appearance this season, and his ability to spin the ball, specifically with a nasty sweeper and slider, is something we’ve seen the Jays be tantalized with when it comes to the types of pitchers they like to acquire.

He does a good job of limiting hard contact, and when he does give it up, it’s typically on the ground, which may play well in a playoff environment where homers become paramount. Bubic’s value is at an all-time high, and I’m not sure how the Jays would feel about adding a 27-year-old to lead their veteran rotation, but his stuff plays, and if the Jays were to pony up the prospects to acquire him, it would be an exciting move.

Seth Lugo
If the Kansas City Royals play hardball in Bubic negotiations, Seth Lugo may come at a more appetizing price. The 35-year-old is on the last year of his deal before contending with a $15 million player option that he’s likely to decline.

The ceiling isn’t quite as high with Lugo as the other names on this list. He uses nine, yes nine, different pitches to get away with a mediocre strikeout rate. The numbers are always solid at the end of the season, even if he always seems to out perform his expected stats. He wouldn’t be the big-time ace coming in to lead the Jays as the guaranteed-win-every-fifth-day guy, but Lugo would certainly solidify the rotation down the stretch, and would be a strong option to start a playoff game, even if he wouldn't be the automatic first choice upon his arrival in Toronto.

Edward Cabrera
Another controllable starting pitcher that may be made available for the right price is Edward Cabrera. The Miami Marlins’ 27-year-old righty isn’t a free agent until after 2028, and while he’s been solid throughout his career, he hasn’t quite put together a season reflective of his high-90’s fastball and nasty breaking pitches.

Cabrera is exactly the type of guy that, given a little bit of time with Pete Walker and the Blue Jays’ pitching development and an escape from Miami, could be a legitimate ace. The prospect price would likely be overwhelming despite his lack of elite results, but if the Blue Jays think they hold the key to unlocking the best version of Cabrera, he could come in and make an immediate impact, as well as solidify an aging rotation going into 2026 and beyond. He is certainly one of the highest upside pitchers that has a chance to be moved at the deadline, and he’d look good in a Blue Jays uniform.

Dylan Cease
The final name I’ll throw at you today is a weird one, especially considering the San Diego Padres are currently holding the third NL Wild Card spot, but earlier this week Buster Olney made this tweet:

Contender-to-contender swaps are rare, especially at the trade deadline, but the Padres would likely want major-league-ready position player talent in return for Cease, which the Jays happen to be flush with. For his part, Cease has continued to struggle with walks, which has factored heavily into his 4.59 ERA this season, but his expected ERA sits in the mid-threes and his hard fastball-slider combination is electric as ever. As a Boras client, Cease is a true rental and will be testing the free agent market this upcoming winter, which might make the Padres a little bit more willing to trade him, and bring down the price a touch.

He’d certainly be a guy I’d want starting a playoff game, and would be a heck of an addition if the Jays were able to get it done.