Leo Morgenstern

The Blue Jays swapped out an experienced righty for a rookie southpaw earlier today. Matt Waldron has been designated for assignment after a couple of weeks with the Jays. The 29-year-old made four appearances, pitching 4.1 innings and giving up five runs. Taking his place will be Brendan Cellucci, who is looking to make his MLB debut. Cellucci, 28, signed a minor league contract with Toronto over the offseason. He spent the first several years of his professional career in the Red Sox's system. The lefty owns a 3.68 ERA and 4.24 xERA in 44 innings for Triple-A Buffalo this season. View full rumor

Kirk has a .135 ISO since July 8. Just for fun, I wanted to see how many players ever had a 155 wRC+ or better with an ISO no higher than .135 over a full season. Turns out only one player has done it in the last 100 years... but he did it three times. Wade Boggs in '83, '85, and '88. So yeah, probably unsustainable for Kirk to be this productive without any slug haha

Yeah, I know, I'm a little late to the party on this. But we couldn't just not have anything on the site about all the news from before today's game. Here's the rundown: Ricky Tiedemann was promoted for his MLB debut. Chase Lee was optioned back to Buffalo. That's option number five for Lee this season. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is in concussion protocol. He's out for at least a week. Daz Cameron had his contract selected from Triple-A Buffalo. He's on the roster now. Lazaro Estrada was designated for assignment. Similar to Lee, he had been optioned the maximum number of times, which limited his flexibility. A player can't be optioned more than five times in a season. Tiedemann made his debut this afternoon, tossing 1.2 innings. He gave up one run on two hits and struck out two. View full rumor

On Monday, the Blue Jays fell victim to a bizarre ruling. Because the Jays failed to record a fourth out, Red Sox baserunner Anthony Seigler scored successfully from third base on a fly ball, even though he never tagged up. Most of the players on the field had no idea what was going on. Even John Schneider – who had seen the same ruling 10 years earlier – was confused. I spent 20 minutes explaining it to my wife, and she said she understood, but I wouldn't blame her if she were lying just to make me stop talking. I think part of the confusion stems from the term "fourth out." The actual wording in the Official Baseball Rules is "apparent fourth out," with scare quotes around the latter two words. If the Blue Jays had made the necessary appeal to third base, they wouldn't have been credited with a fourth out. The original third out would no longer count, and the so-called "fourth out" would replace the preceding out as the official third out of the inning. An inning can't have more than three outs. Ever. But it can have more than three strikeouts. Thanks to another quirky entry in the baseball rulebook, a strikeout isn't always an out. If the catcher doesn't catch strike three (and a double play isn't in order), the pitcher is still awarded a K, but the batter isn't necessarily out. He can take off for first, and the base is his if he makes it there safely. So, hearing the words "fourth out" over and over again made me think back to Opening Day, when Jeff Hoffman put on the most Jeff Hoffman performance imaginable. He blew the save. He earned the win. He gave up a home run. And he struck out four batters in one inning of work. Jeff Hoffman Pitches in 4K Hoffman entered in the top of the ninth. The Blue Jays had a 2-1 lead. The top of the A's order was due up. Nick Kurtz, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, led off. Hoffman and Alejandro Kirk caught him looking on Toronto's first challenge of the ABS era. Then Shea Langeliers tied the game with a shot to straightaway center. The next three batters all struck out swinging. Tyler Soderstrom swung over a slider, missing by nearly a foot, but the ball bounced past Kirk, allowing Soderstrom to reach first. Thankfully, Brent Rooker and Jacob Wilson embarrassed themselves just as badly, and the Blue Jays walked it off in the bottom of the ninth. Hoffman is one of only two pitchers to throw a four-strikeout inning this season. The other, unsurprisingly, is Mason Miller. The Padres closer leads NL relievers in strikeouts, while Hoffman, now with the Twins, leads relievers in the AL. Before Hoffman, the last Blue Jay to strike out four batters in an inning was Mike Bolsinger. Don't feel bad, I had to Google him too. The soft-tossing righty pitched 11 games for a mediocre Blue Jays team in 2017. On July 18, Bolsinger threw the final 3.1 frames of a 15-inning loss to the Red Sox. Until he gave up a walk-off home run to Hanley Ramirez, his work was impeccable. He retired the first 11 batters he saw. That included four swinging strikeouts in inning 13: Take away that performance, and Bolsinger only struck out 18% of opponents in his brief tenure with the Jays. Hoffman was striking out batters nearly twice as often. Yet, in these two outings, they were very much alike. They're two of just three pitchers to throw a 4K inning in 50 seasons of Blue Jays baseball. The very first Blue Jay to accomplish the feat was Steve Delabar in 2012. (As one would expect, four-strikeout innings are more common these days than they were in the early years of the Blue Jays' existence.) Delabar would pitch 143 games for Toronto from 2012-15, and his 4K inning came just two weeks into his Blue Jays tenure. On August 13, 2012, Delabar threw the final two frames of an extra-innings win over the White Sox. In the first of those innings, he struck out all four batters he faced: Delabar was excellent in his first two years with the Blue Jays. He earned an All-Star nod in 2013, and later that summer, he threw the first immaculate inning (nine pitches, three strikeouts) in franchise history. From the trade deadline in 2012 through the end of the 2013 campaign, his 128 strikeouts ranked second among AL relievers. Unfortunately, he lost his strikeout stuff in 2014 and struggled through his latter seasons in Toronto. Fittingly, the Blue Jays have only had three pitchers throw a 4K inning, but they have had four such seasons in their history. On September 17, 2024, Luis Frías and Erik Swanson combined to pull off the feat. In what would turn out to be his final big league appearance (to this point), Frías struck out three Rangers batters in the bottom of the eighth... but he also gave up a double, a home run, and three walks. With the bases loaded, Swanson came in to record the final out. The Blue Jays have also been on the receiving end of a trio of 4K innings. The most recent was on April 23, 2021, with Tyler Glasnow on the mound. It took Glasnow nine batters to get those four strikeouts (Cavan Biggio, Bo Bichette, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Danny Jansen), and the Blue Jays brought four runs across the plate. Several years earlier, Phil Hughes struck out J.P. Arencibia, Adeiny Hechavarria, Anthony Gose, and Brett Lawrie back-to-back-to-back-to-back on September 20, 2012: On September 3, 1996, the Blue Jays' batters were dealt their very first 4K inning. The Royals' Kevin Appier struck out Ed Sprague, Carlos Delgado, Charlie O'Brien, and Alex Gonzalez in a dominant complete-game victory. Four-strikeout innings aren't as rare (or confusing) as fourth-out situations, but they're one of my favourite statistical quirks. I also think it's pretty darn cool that the Blue Jays have now had one of each in the same season. Now all they need is the ultra-rare four-strike at-bat to complete the "four of something that's usually three" challenge. (Unless that challenge really needs four components...?) View full article

The Blue Jays placed right-hander Jameson Taillon on the 15-day injured list today with right forearm tendinitis. He exited yesterday's game early, citing tightness in his pitching arm. He had thrown four scoreless innings against the Red Sox. Taillon is the latest member of the Blue Jays' rotation to hit the IL. He joins Trey Yesavage, Patrick Corbin and fellow trade acquisition Spencer Arrighetti on the shelf, as well as José Berríos, Cody Ponce, and Bowden Francis, all of whom are out for the season. Dylan Cease, Shane Bieber, and Max Scherzer also spent time on the IL earlier this year. The Blue Jays recalled Chase Lee to take Taillon's spot on the active roster. The team has several candidates to take Taillon's next turn in the rotation, including Spencer Miles, Simeon Woods Richardson, and Matt Waldron, who are all currently pitching out of the bullpen. More starting depth in the minors includes Lazaro Estrada, Chad Dallas, and CJ Van Eyk. View full rumor

I know, I know. It's late to be publishing any sort of "player of the month" content for July. But the trade deadline was a little later this year, and I figured that was slightly more important to cover. Still, I wanted to make sure Jays Centre acknowledged all of the Blue Jays' best performances in July, so I'm writing this up today. Let's get right to it. Honourable Mention: Chad Dallas - Buffalo/Toronto I try to avoid including guys who have already debuted in the majors on these lists. However, Chad Dallas gets a shoutout for pitching to a 1.46 ERA in three minor league outings last month, as well as tossing a scoreless inning (and earning his first big league hold) for the Blue Jays on July 10. No. 5: Denis Samudio - Dunedin Denis Samudio struck out 28 batters in 17 innings last month. That's a 38.9% strikeout rate. He racked up more strikeouts than hits, walks, hit-by-pitches, and wild pitches combined. The 21-year-old certainly wasn't perfect, as his 4.24 ERA and 4.33 FIP will attest, but how can you not be impressed by a strikeout total like that? The Royals sent Samudio to the Blue Jays in June in exchange for Connor Seabold. He's still a lottery ticket, but so far, he's looking like a great return for a pitcher the Jays designated for assignment. No. 4: Javen Coleman - New Hampshire/Buffalo Javen Coleman struck out 18 of the 49 hitters he faced in July (36.7%) with a 4.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He also earned four saves while pitching to a 3.09 ERA. He has run into a little more trouble since a mid-July promotion to Triple-A Buffalo, but that's to be expected. Instead of punishing him for his struggles at the highest minor league level, I'm choosing to give him credit for earning a promotion in the first place. No. 3: Jack Eshleman - Vancouver I try to focus on more than just ERA when it comes to picking pitchers of the month, particularly for the minor leaguers. I also try to prioritize top-ranked prospects and players in the higher levels when I'm having trouble making a decision. Having said all that, I can't ignore Jack Eshleman's 1.23 ERA in July, especially when it wasn't a super strong month for pitching in the system. The 22-year-old made six relief appearances in the month, five of which were at least two innings long. From June 30 to July 23, he pitched 12 consecutive scoreless innings. No. 2: Austin Marozas - Dunedin/Vancouver/New Hampshire The Blue Jays signed a 26-year-old Austin Marozas out of independent ball last summer. He pitched well for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats before landing on the injured list in mid-May. The righty started his rehab stint in the FCL on June 20, and over the next few weeks, he worked his way back to New Hampshire, stopping in Dunedin and Vancouver along the way. From June 20 to July 31, he produced a 2.96 ERA in 27.1 innings, striking out 36. His 5.26 ERA on the season is less than inspiring, but that number drops to 3.72 if you remove his two disastrous outings before he hit the IL. Even better, his strikeout rate improves to 28.7%, and his K-BB% improves to 17.3%. Mazoras will face his fair share of bumps in the road (like his first start in August), but he has been a great story so far, and hopefully, his story is just beginning. No. 1: Johnny King - Vancouver Johnny King had another strong month in July, striking out 25 and walking eight over four starts. Jays Centre's No. 2 prospect struggled with control at times, but the southpaw never gave up more than three earned runs in an outing, and the Canadians won all four games he started. In other words, Johnny King was Johnny King. There's not much more to say. View full article

The Blue Jays were active leading up to the trade deadline, giving us some of the moves we expected and at least one we didn't. Kevin Gausman and Daulton Varsho are gone, but impending free agents Shane Bieber, George Springer, and Max Scherzer are still around. The lineup is worse without Varsho, but the outfield defense won't take much of a hit with Myles Straw around to take over. As for the rotation, Gausman to José Soriano isn't much of a downgrade, if it's a downgrade at all. Plus, with the additions of Spencer Arrighetti and Jameson Taillon, rotation depth isn't looking like a problem anymore. (Time to knock on wood and pretend I never wrote those words.) The area where the Jays might have taken the biggest hit is the bullpen. Jeff Hoffman is gone, which will put even more pressure on the team's remaining high-leverage relievers. That said, it's hard to overlook Hoffman's -2.06 Win Probability Added with Toronto, the second-worst among all AL relievers over the last two years. I'm not saying he isn't a talented reliever – I know he is – but even so, he may have lost the Jays more games than he won them. That makes his departure easier to swallow. So, the Blue Jays might be a little worse off for the rest of 2026, but they won't be unwatchable. And who knows? They might even have what it takes to make a Cinderella run. (Sorry, I don't know why I keep jinxing things.) They're also in a better position for 2027. We'll have more to say about their deadline moves in the coming days, but for now, here's a rundown of the six trades they made over the long weekend, with links to our initial write-ups. The Headliner: José Soriano for Arjun Nimmala Most folks were calling the Blue Jays sellers last week, but how often does a seller trade one of their top prospects at the deadline? Arjun Nimmala is no small price to pay, but José Soriano is a big get. Adding Soriano helps with the pain of losing Gausman, and now the Jays have one less need to address in the offseason. Blue Jays get José Soriano Angels get Arjun Nimmala, Eddie Micheletti Jr., and Angel Rivero Read More The Hardest Goodbye: Kevin Gausman to the Cubs Kevin Gausman will be sorely missed, but the Blue Jays were smart to cash in on his trade value before he hit free agency. The question now is if they were smart about the prospects they asked for in return. Blue Jays get Brett Bateman and Ty Southisene Cubs get Kevin Gausman Read More From Friend to Rival in About Four Hours: The Daulton Varsho Story Daulton Varsho was already with the Blue Jays in Houston when this deal was completed. He suited up for the Astros and went 1-for-4 with a walk against his former team. Blue Jays get Spencer Arrighetti Astros get Daulton Varsho Read More Jeff Hoffman to the Twins Completes an Unexpected Closer Swap Two offseasons ago, Jeff Hoffman was coming off an All-Star season. He signed a three-year, $33 million deal to be the Blue Jays' new closer. Louis Varland had a 5.51 career ERA. He wasn't even sure he'd crack the Twins' Opening Day roster. Oh, how things change. Blue Jays get Spencer Arrighetti Twins get Jeff Hoffman Read More More Like Jay-meson Taillon The Blue Jays sent a veteran starter to the Cubs, but not before they took one for themselves. Blue Jays get Jameson Taillon Cubs get cash considerations or a player to be named later Read More The Utility Man Formerly Known as Josh H. Smith The versatile Josh Smith has played every position except pitcher and catcher. I'd be shocked if we don't see him pitch at least once for the Jays before the year is over. Blue Jays get Josh Smith Rangers get Adam Macko Read More View full article

The Blue Jays and Rangers have agreed on a trade that will send utility player Josh Smith and minor league right-hander Josh Stephan to Toronto in exchange for left-hander Adam Macko. Evan Grant (The Dallas Morning News) and Ken Rosenthal (The Athletic) had the scoop. Smith, 28, has played every position except pitcher and catcher, though third base is where he's most comfortable. The lefty batter hit .254 with 23 home runs, 23 steals, a 107 wRC+ and 4.7 fWAR in just under 300 games with the Rangers from 2024-25. However, a glute strain limited his playing time this year, and he has struggled at the plate over 45 games, batting just .213 with one home run and a 65 wRC+. His underlying quality-of-contact metrics aren't much better. This isn't a needle-moving acquisition for Toronto, but Smith is a versatile depth piece. He has options remaining, and he's under team control through arbitration in 2027 and '28, should the Jays choose to keep him around. Macko, 25, is part of the Teoscar Hernández trade tree. He joined the Blue Jays organization from the Mariners in 2022 and made his MLB debut earlier this year. The southpaw has a 4.91 ERA/4.88 xERA in 22 innings for the Jays, and a 4.07 ERA/4.41 xERA in another 24.1 frames with Triple-A Buffalo. The Jays have optioned and recalled Macko several times this year, but he ranks second among the team's left-handers in appearances. It's worth wondering if Ross Atkins is planning to add some new left-handed depth to replace him on the roster. Finally, Stephan, 24, has spent the season with the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate. He has a 5.44 ERA/4.98 xERA in 101 innings pitched. FanGraphs ranked him as the team's No. 21 prospect at the beginning of the season. They gave him a 40 FV grade, describing his "perfect-world outcome" as a No. 5 starter, though a future as a spot starter/long reliever seems more likely. View full rumor

That's a really good point. I've been choosing not to think too much about a lost (or mostly lost) season in 2027 because, well, I don't want to. But also, from what I've heard, that's still unlikely. And ultimately, it's better to be ready for a season that doesn't happen than ill-equipped for one that does. But yeah, getting two-plus seasons from Soriano is kind of critical to this being a good deal.

The Blue Jays aren't throwing in the towel. Last night's Kevin Gausman trade with the Cubs signalled the start of a sell-off. But while the Blue Jays might be following through with their plan to trade their rentals, they aren't giving up hope of competing in 2026. This morning, ESPN's Jeff Passan broke the news that the Jays are acquiring Angels starter José Soriano. In return, Toronto is sending prospects Arjun Nimmala, Eddie Micheletti Jr., and Angel Rivero back to L.A. Soriano was one of the most talented starting pitchers available at this year's deadline, and he's under team control through arbitration in 2027 and '28. On DiamondCentric's list of the top trade candidates, Gausman was the fourth-ranked starter. Soriano was fifth. These major trades (plus the more minor acquisition of Jameson Taillon) mean two things: Ross Atkins and the Blue Jays know their postseason odds are slim, and they want to recoup some value from their impending free agents. Ross Atkins and the Blue Jays know their postseason chances are still alive, and they aren't giving up the fight. This is exactly what they needed to do. Soriano hasn't proven himself to be quite at Gausman's level, but his ceiling is just as high. Here's what Matthew Trueblood wrote about him for our trade candidate ranking: Over the last three years, Soriano owns a 3.73 ERA and 4.15 xERA in 405 innings pitched. He has been consistently successful – I'd argue he's already the Blue Jays' No. 2 starter – and he offers an intriguing project to Pete Walker and company. The righty has become a more complete pitcher this year by sacrificing some groundballs for more swing-and-miss. The result? The best season of his career. If he takes another step forward in 2027, the Blue Jays won't miss Gausman at all. (I mean, from a production standpoint. Emotionally, I'm a wreck, and I'm sure the rest of the team is too.) Obviously, the return for Soriano was substantial. It had to be. When I considered Soriano as a trade target for Toronto last month, I wondered if the Angels would "only give him up for a price higher than the Jays might be willing to pay." The price was indeed high, but it turns out the Blue Jays were willing to pay it. Nimmala was Jays Centre's No. 3 prospect. Some sources viewed him as the most promising minor leaguer in the organization. In Baseball America's midseason update to their top 100 list, they had Nimmala as the No. 39 prospect in the sport. Aram Leighton of Just Baseball had Nimmala at No. 27 on his most recent top 100 list. Micheletti and Rivero aren't highly-ranked prospects, but both are having good seasons. Nimmala is the prize of L.A.'s return, but it speaks to Soriano's high trade value that Nimmala alone wasn't enough. Jays Centre's Matthew Creally came up with a Soriano mock trade recently that would have sent Nolan Perry, Gage Stanifer, and Yohendrick Piñango to the Angels. Perry's stock is rising fast, while Stanifer made a name for himself last season. Neither has Nimmala's ceiling, but at least the Jays didn't have to give up two of their top 10 prospects in this deal. Spending any serious prospect capital on a rental would have been foolish for a 52-60 Blue Jays team. So would failing to entertain offers for their own rentals. However, the Blue Jays are surely planning to contend in 2027, and they'll need talented starting pitchers to do so. Even if they miss the playoffs this year (and let's face it, they probably will), trading for Soriano will still have made sense. As a bonus, this deal helps them keep their slim postseason hopes from burning out completely. The way I see it, Atkins absolutely made the right call. The Blue Jays earned so much goodwill across Canada with their World Series run last fall. You don't need to look any further than the soaring ticket prices or Ernie Clement's All-Star start for proof of how excited fans in Toronto and across Canada are about baseball right now. The Blue Jays need to do whatever they can to hold on to that. And that's what they did. View full article

Earlier this week, I wrote about some possible landing spots for Kevin Gausman. His teammate Shane Bieber is a whole different beast of a trade chip. Both pitchers can lead a rotation when they're at their best. Gausman, however, is as low-risk as they come. Whichever team trades for him (and it does seem like he will be traded, despite his protestations), they know they're getting at least 10 solid starts down the stretch. Bieber is not such a safe bet. The 2020 AL Cy Young winner has not pitched a full season since 2022. He has made seven starts this season since returning from an elbow injury. In those starts, he has a 5.74 ERA and a 7.55 xERA in 31.1 innings. Two of his last three starts were absolute gems against a couple of the top teams in the American League, the White Sox and the Rays. Unfortunately, his most recent start, which was his final game before the deadline, was a disaster. Something was clearly wrong, as he gave up four runs on six walks and failed to escape the first inning. So, teams in the market for Bieber will be those that are looking for upside but can afford to take on some risk. In other words, we're looking for contenders that can (a) make room for Bieber in their rotation if he's pitching well and (b) have a backup plan if he isn't. Who might that be? Why the Yankees Would Want To Trade for Shane Bieber I know, I know. Nobody wants to see the Blue Jays trade with the Yankees. But the fit is there. The Yankees could use another starter, considering Max Fried, Gerrit Cole, and Carlos Rodón have all missed time with injuries this year. AL Cy Young front-runner Cam Schlittler has been rock solid all season, but even he has his question marks; he is approaching unprecedented territory in terms of his workload. Will Warren and Ryan Weathers have stepped up in a big way for the Yankees, but either of them could move to the bullpen following a Bieber trade. If Bieber struggles or gets hurt, the Yankees have a great insurance policy. Why the Red Sox Would Want To Trade for Shane Bieber Yes, another AL East opponent. I'm sorry, but once again, the fit is too good to ignore. Garrett Crochet is hoping to return for the playoffs. If he does, Boston's top three of Crochet, Sonny Gray, and Ranger Suárez would be downright scary. Either Payton Tolle or Jake Bennett would be more than qualified to be the No. 4. Yet, the Red Sox have to get to the playoffs for that to matter. Suárez is an All-Star, but he's also a perennial injury risk. Tolle and Bennett are rookies. Boston's No. 5 starter is Patrick Sandoval, who has only made four starts since his return from Tommy John surgery. It's understandable why they traded Connelly Early for Curtis Mead, but Early's presence on the roster will be missed. The Red Sox don't need a starting pitcher, but some depth could help them avoid a late-season collapse. Why the Rangers Would Want To Trade for Shane Bieber Like the Yankees and the Red Sox, the Rangers have plenty of starters, but most of them have their question marks. MacKenzie Gore is sturdy, but Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi are older veterans with lengthy injury histories. Kumar Rocker lacks experience. Jack Leiter should be the No. 5, but he's currently on the IL. Cal Quantrill (and possibly Cody Bradford and Jordan Montgomery) offers depth, but any contending team would prefer an option with more upside. Bieber can be that option. Shane Bieber Mock Trade Jays Centre's Matthew Creally came up with a mock trade last week that would send Shane Bieber to the Braves. I'll let him explain the logic behind that landing spot (you can read the article here!), but Atlanta is another team that could use (a) a pitcher with Bieber's upside and (b) survive if he suffers another injury. Matthew's formula determined that Bieber could net the Jays one mid-range prospect, but the return could be more exciting if Toronto packaged Bieber with another player. Here is the mock he ultimately came up with: Braves get Shane Bieber and Jesús Sánchez Blue Jays get Jorge Mateo and Owen Murphy (BA Braves No. 7) Any thoughts on these landing spots? Any other teams you think I should have considered? Leave a comment and let me know! View full article

It's getting harder and harder for me to deny that the Blue Jays are going to do some selling over the next six days. They're 49-58 on the season and 4-7 since the All-Star break. The PECOTA projection system has long been a believer in this Blue Jays team, but that belief is starting to wane; their postseason odds have fallen to 1-in-10. If the Blue Jays do sell, they'll probably only shop their rentals. And of their impending free agents, the most valuable trade chip is Kevin Gausman. Gausman is No. 10 on DiamondCentric's ranking of this year's top trade candidates. He's sixth among pitchers and second among rental starters, behind only Tarik Skubal. Gausman offers a rare combination of dominance and durability, and if the Blue Jays are willing to pay down some of his salary, the 35-year-old should be a fit for just about every contending team that needs a starting pitcher. With that said, here are a few teams that should definitely be giving the Blue Jays a call. Why the Phillies Would Want To Trade for Kevin Gausman The Phillies are in a precarious position. They're seven games above .500, but their run differential is -12. If they're serious about competing – and they should be, considering their expensive, aging core – they need to make at least one big swing at the trade deadline. Ideally, they would improve their offense, but the trade market has a lot more supply on the pitching side. That's not a problem for the Phillies. They have one of the best rotations in the majors, but that's only because of their top three starters: Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler, and Jesús Luzardo. They don't have a fourth starter they can trust in the playoffs, and they don't have a fifth starter at all. I wrote about the Phillies' deadline needs for Just Baseball, and the staff there came up with this mock trade to bring Gausman to Philly. Phillies get Kevin Gausman Blue Jays get Ramon Marquez (BA Phillies No. 4) and Carson DeMartini (BA Phillies No. 15) Why the Dodgers Would Want To Trade for Kevin Gausman Like the Phillies, the Dodgers don't need another ace. They already have Yoshinobu Yamamoto leading their rotation, and they're hoping to have Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Shohei Ohtani back pitching before too long. In a best-case scenario for the Dodgers, 2026 All-Star Justin Wrobleski wouldn't even have a spot in their postseason rotation. That said, the Dodgers aren't a team that counts on the best-case scenario. They know how rarely that works out. That's why they're the back-to-back reigning World Series champions. Eric Lauer, a pitcher Toronto discarded, has been starting for L.A. over the past two months. Admittedly, he's been a lot better for the Dodgers than he was for the Blue Jays earlier this year, but still, the Dodgers don't want to wind up in a situation where they're counting on Lauer to make a start in a playoff game. They're almost certain to add a starter at the trade deadline. Considering all of the question marks in the rotation right now, they might jump at the chance to pick up one of the most reliable starting pitchers in the game. Our own Matthew Creally recently proposed a mock trade that would send Gausman to the Dodgers. Here's what that looked like: Dodgers get Kevin Gausman Blue Jays get Charles Davalan (BA Dodgers No. 7) and Dylan Tate Why the Cubs Would Want To Trade for Kevin Gausman Paul Niemiec of North Side Baseball recently ranked Chicago's trade deadline priorities, and a top-of-the-rotation starter was No. 1 with a bullet. To be honest, the Cubs should probably aim even higher than Gausman, given the state of their rotation. Skubal could help the North Siders more than maybe any other team. However, I'm not convinced Jed Hoyer will shell out for the two-time Cy Young winner. Even if he were willing to, there's no guarantee the Cubs would win that bidding war. Gausman would be a nice consolation prize for a team that should be more desperate for starting pitching than any other contender. Our friends at Just Baseball also came up with a Gausman mock trade between the Blue Jays and Cubs. Take a look: Cubs get Kevin Gausman Blue Jays get Brooks Caple (BA Cubs No. 19) and Juan Cabada (BA Cubs No. 14) Why the Diamondbacks Would Want To Trade for Kevin Gausman In the last section, I said the Cubs should be more desperate for starting pitching than any other contender. The reason I said that is because I think the Cubs could be serious World Series contenders with a better top of the rotation. However, I don't think the Cubs are the contender with the worst rotation. That title belongs to the Diamondbacks. The D-backs are 55-52, tied for the second Wild Card spot, and I'm not sure they have a single starter I'd feel great about giving the ball to in a postseason game. Eduardo Rodriguez was their All-Star, but his sub-3.00 ERA is completely unsustainable. Only four qualified pitchers have a higher xERA, and one of them is his teammate Merrill Kelly. Zac Gallen and Michael Soroka could return from the IL down the stretch, but Gallen has looked even worse than he did last year, and Soroka hasn't thrown more than 100 innings in a season since 2019. If the Diamondbacks can make the playoffs, having Gausman available to start in the Wild Card series would significantly increase their chances of advancing. Dan Szymborski of FanGraphs mocked Gausman to the Diamondbacks earlier today. Here is his trade proposal: Diamondbacks get Kevin Gausman Blue Jays get Druw Jones (BA Diamondbacks No. 17) and Mitch Bratt (BA Diamondbacks No. 12) Any thoughts on these mock trade proposals? Any other teams you think I should have considered? Leave a comment and let me know! View full article

Well, we no longer have to wonder what the roster will look like "when Addison Barger returns." This afternoon, the Blue Jays revealed that Barger needs surgery on his throwing elbow. It's not yet clear if he'll need Tommy John or the less invasive internal brace procedure, but either way, Barger won't play again in 2026. At this point, I can't imagine many Blue Jays were counting on much from Barger this season anyway. Expectations were high for the young slugger entering the year, following his breakout campaign in 2025. He finished his first full season with 21 home runs, a 107 wRC+, and 2.2 FanGraphs WAR – and it seemed like he was just scratching the surface of his potential. Unfortunately, Barger never got the chance to show what he could do in full-season number two. He first hit the injured list barely a week into the season. Running to first base, he landed on the bag awkwardly and exited with what was initially labelled "bilateral ankle discomfort." A couple of days later, the Blue Jays formally placed him on the 10-day IL with a left ankle sprain. Barger was back after a month, but his triumphant return was short-lived. In his first game back, he made a spectacular throw – 101.2 mph! – to complete a double play at the plate... unknowingly ending his season in the process. John Schneider told reporters today (including MLB.com's Keegan Matheson) that Barger had been playing through some degree of elbow discomfort for “a couple of years." Still, it's hard not to think that throw was the straw that broke the camel's back. Over the past couple of months, we've gotten the occasional update about Barger stopping or starting good old "baseball activities," but it never seemed like he was making much progress. Eventually, the Jays Centre team stopped writing articles about what would happen when he rejoined the lineup. Now, at least, we can enjoy the modicum of relief that comes with the removal of uncertainty. It's José Berríos déjà vu all over again. Barger's 2026 numbers look dreadful, but it's not worth focusing on that. A 28-plate appearance sample is too small to draw any conclusions from. This was a lost season for the 26-year-old, but it wasn't a step back. That's a small but meaningful distinction. Addison Barger's Lost Season G PA H BB SO wRC+ 9 28 1 5 7 0 Of course, the pressure will be on for Barger not to take a step back when he eventually returns. In a best-case scenario, he'll be back to full health in more than enough time for a normal spring training. Even if that's the case, he'll have to reacclimate to the majors after a long time away. In a worst-case scenario (i.e., Tommy John surgery), he'll have to do that reacclimating in the middle of a season. Another concern is what this will do to Barger's gift from the baseball gods: his throwing arm. It might take a lot longer than six to nine months for him to regain complete arm strength. And what if he feels the need to dial it back permanently to protect himself from future injury? If that's what he needs to do, it's what he needs to do. That said, it's a little sad to think we may have seen his last 100-mph outfield assist. Addison Barger was one of my favourite players to watch in 2025. I'm sad we won't get to see him in 2026, but at least it's good to have some clarity. He'll go under the knife on Monday, and soon after, we'll learn what kind of surgery he needed. For now, I have my fingers crossed that it's not Tommy John. The sooner Barger is back hitting tanks and throwing missiles, the better. View full article

Agreed. Maybe I'm just in denial, but I'm still of the mind that I'd rather they keep everyone around and try to go on a miracle run. I'm just not convinced the prospects they could bring back would be worth selling. But if they can find a true impact prospect, that changes things.

According to reporter Ari Alexander of 7News Boston, the Toronto Blue Jays have claimed outfielder Rudy Martin Jr. off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles. Martin, 30, has had a long minor league career, primarily in the Kansas City Royals organization. Drafted in 2014, he finally made it onto a 40-man roster earlier this month, when he exercised an upward mobility clause in his latest minor league pact with Kansas City, prompting a trade to Baltimore. The Orioles added him to their 40-man roster last week, but they subsequently DFA'd him on Monday. Martin will presumably report to Triple-A Buffalo, though he will need a spot on Toronto's 40-man roster. The Jays could move Addison Barger or Lenyn Sosa to the 60-day IL to make room. In 64 games between Double and Triple A this season, the lefty-batting Martin is hitting .284 with a 127 wRC+ and 33 stolen bases. He has played all three outfield positions. View full rumor