Ranking Blue Jays Trade Candidates If They Sell at the MLB Trade Deadline

This wasn’t how this story was supposed to go. The Blue Jays entered 2026 with sky-high expectations, but injuries and disappointing performances from many of the players who fueled last year’s World Series run have left them seven games below .500 approaching the All-Star break.

Currently, the Blue Jays find themselves in a precarious spot. Every year, there seems to be one team that catches fire after the All-Star break and storms into the postseason. The Blue Jays have as much talent as any club to be that team. But coming into the Giants series, the Blue Jays' playoff odds had dropped to a season low of 25.2%. While there is no guarantee this team will sell off assets at the trade deadline, the front office has to prepare for that possibility. It's a similar blueprint to the one the Blue Jays followed at the 2024 trade deadline, and they’re already seeing the benefits of that approach.

That doesn’t necessarily mean a full rebuild. More likely, the Blue Jays would look to move players on expiring contracts or veterans whose value may never be higher, while targeting prospects or major leaguers who could contribute as early as 2027. If that's the direction the team chooses, some players are far more likely to be dealt than others. Here’s a look at the most realistic trade candidates, broken down by how likely they are to be moved.

Blue Jays Most Likely To Be Traded

SP Kevin Gausman
Team Control: Through 2026
2026 Stats: 19 G, 3.76 FIP, 17.8 K-BB%, 1.9 fWAR

Gausman will likely go down as one of the best free-agent pitching signings in franchise history, and moving him at the deadline would not be a popular move. However, he’s likely the piece that could get the biggest return. He’s a durable workhorse with recent success in the postseason and immediately strengthens any contender’s rotation.

The price for impact starting pitching at the deadline always remains high, and the Blue Jays are almost certain to at least listen to offers on the veteran starter. He does have an eight-team no-trade clause, meaning he’ll have some degree of a say in where he goes if the Blue Jays decide to move him. Still, out of all Toronto's potential trade chips, Gausman will be front and center.

CF Daulton Varsho
Team Control: Through 2026
2026 Stats: 78 G, .313 wOBA, 99 wRC+, 1.2 fWAR

Similar to Gausman, Varsho is a free agent at season's end and has plenty of big league success under his belt. Although his numbers have dropped this season, he’s been an outstanding center fielder in his career, and there will always be demand for elite defense up the middle.

He exploded for 20 home runs and a .548 slugging percentage in just 71 games last season. A contender in need of left-handed power may believe it can unlock that version of Varsho again, making him an intriguing trade target.

OF Myles Straw
Team Control: Through 2026 (Club Options Through 2028)
2026 Stats: 80 G, .281 wOBA, 77 wRC+, 0.2 fWAR

Speed and elite outfield defense can change a game in a flash, and Straw is excellent at both. His range in the outfield is 84th percentile, and despite just two stolen bases on the season, he still has 97th percentile sprint speed. Any contender looking for late-game speed and elite defense could benefit from having Straw on their team.

The Blue Jays have shown a willingness to trade players like this before (they traded Kevin Kiermaier at the 2024 deadline), and if the Jays are willing to eat some of Straw's remaining salary (he's making $7.4M this year), they could fetch a fairly solid return.

Blue Jays Trade Candidates Worth Watching

DH George Springer
Team Control: Through 2026
2026 Stats: 63 Games, .304 wOBA, 93 wRC+, 0.1 fWAR

Like Gausman, Springer is a free agent at the end of the season and has had tremendous success in the postseason. But unlike Gausman, Springer isn’t playing quality baseball at the moment. The now 36-year-old is having his worst offensive season. He’s a negative on the basepaths and hasn’t played in the outfield in over a calendar year.

If a contender believes Springer can rediscover the form that produced a 166 wRC+ in 2025, there may still be a market for him. But unless his play turns around dramatically, finding a trade partner doesn’t seem likely. Especially if you factor in his salary and the fact that he has 10-and-5 no-trade rights. Springer would have to give the go-ahead to any trade proposal that is sent his way.

SP Shane Bieber
Team Control: Through 2026
2026 Stats: 3 Games, 9.34 FIP, 3.1 K-BB%, -0.5 fWAR

Shane Bieber returned to the Blue Jays after picking up his player option in the offseason. He spent the first half of the season battling an elbow injury, and upon his return, he’s struggled in all three of his starts.

Still, he’s a former Cy Young Award winner, and at 31 years old, should still have something left to offer. The Blue Jays would undoubtedly like to get something for a player they’re unlikely to re-sign this offseason, but no team is going to offer much until he starts pitching better. 

OF Jesús Sánchez
Team Control: Through 2027
2026 Stats: 73 Games, .325 wOBA, 108 wRC+, 0.1 fWAR

Sánchez is no stranger to being traded, as he was sent from the Marlins to the Astros at last year's trade deadline, and there is the potential that a move could happen again. Offensively, he’s held his own with a 108 wRC+ and has always produced strong exit velocities. The defense and baserunning limit his overall value, but he has the ability to come off the bench and get an extra-base hit in a key spot. There may be a team willing to move a mid-level prospect for that type of player.

RHP Jeff Hoffman
Team Control: Through 2027
2026 Stats: 41 Games, 2.72 FIP, 27.2 K-BB%, 0.8 fWAR

The Jays would face an interesting decision if another team came calling for Hoffman. On one hand, his underlying statistics have been phenomenal all season, and he’s been pitching well lately. Since the start of June, he’s thrown 13 innings with a microscopic 0.69 ERA, and if a team views him like the shutdown reliever he can be, the Jays could get a sizeable return.

However, Hoffman is still under team control through the 2027 season, and unless the team goes into a complete rebuild, the Blue Jays are likely to contend again, and having Hoffman in the bullpen is a key part of that. What the Blue Jays decide to do with Hoffman will be an interesting storyline going into the trade deadline.

Blue Jays Probably Staying Put

OF Nathan Lukes
Team Control: Through 2030
2026 Stats: 57 games, .320 wOBA, 104 wRC+, 0.9 fWAR

Lukes’ name is on this list simply because the Blue Jays have a plethora of left-handed hitting outfielders on their roster, and moving one of them could clear up the logjam. But with Lukes under team control for four more seasons and only entering arbitration next year, he’s still an inexpensive player to keep around. Combine that with the fact he’s been playing almost every day and hitting in the top of the order, and it feels like he’ll be staying put.

OF/2B Davis Schneider
Team Control: Through 2030
2026 Stats: 49 Games, .267 wOBA, 68 wRC+, -0.4 fWAR

Schneider has had a disappointing season so far. He was set to be a right-handed-hitting platoon bat but has spent most of the season travelling between Toronto and Buffalo. Still, the trade market doesn’t have many right-handed-hitting outfielders, and Schneider does provide power and plate discipline. He could be a spark off the bench for a postseason team.

It's unlikely that the Blue Jays would want to sell low on a player, especially one with so much team control, but there is a chance a suitor comes knocking, and the Blue Jays will have to at least listen.

RHP Max Scherzer
Team Control: Through 2026
2026 Stats: 6 Games, 8.79 FIP, 2.9 K-BB%, -0.7 fWAR

The end may be near for the now 41-year-old eventual Hall of Famer. Scherzer is set to become a free agent at the end of the season, and while there may be some value to having him stick around in the clubhouse for a playoff team, he’s been dealing with injuries and also has not been effective when he’s been on the field. Between his struggles, recurring injuries, and a full no-trade clause, it’s difficult to envision a scenario where Scherzer is moved before the deadline.

The next three weeks will determine the franchise's direction. If the Blue Jays catch fire, they’ll likely spend the deadline adding to a playoff push. If not, they may have no choice but to begin cashing in expiring contracts, even if they are still within striking distance of a Wild Card spot.