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  • Toronto Blue Jays Trade & Free Agent Rumors

    Follow the latest Toronto Blue Jays trade and free agent rumors, along with quick notes on the big league club, the minor leagues and the draft.
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    Matthew Lenz
    Before the trade deadline struck midnight, rumors were swirling that the Toronto Blue Jays were open to trading the newly acquired Jose Soriano. It was news that surprised many, considering they had acquired him on August 3rd for top prospect Arjun Nimmala.
    Now, a week after the deadline passed, we're getting more details on what those talks entailed. Dan Hayes and Mitch Bannon of The Athletic are reporting that the Minnesota Twins "pursued" Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Jose Soriano. They go on to say it was a "package built around the organization’s No. 3 prospect, infielder Kaelen Culpepper, and other pieces."
    The deal obviously couldn't get over the finish line, and so the two sides agreed on a trade involving reliever Jeff Hoffman. Culpepper has since made his major league debut with the Twins.
    Soriano, 27, was one of the top starting arms on the market over the trade deadline. This was despite a high walk rate and a FIP about half a run higher than his 3.24 ERA. He was particularly attractive as a starter who is controllable through 2028.
    Do you think the Blue Jays' asking price was too high? Join the conversation in the comments!
    Bryan Jaeger
    Brett Bateman, 24, was one of the two prospects that the Toronto Blue Jays acquired in the trade that sent Kevin Gausman to the Chicago Cubs. Bateman is replacing Luis Urías, who was placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained quad. Rudy Martin Jr. was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. 
    In Triple A this season, Bateman slashed .311/.429/.416 with 61 runs, three home runs, 33 knocked in, and 20 stolen bases. He adds more depth in the outfield and a left-handed bat off the bench. He could platoon in center field with Myles Straw, so he may not have to wait long to make his debut.
    Leo Morgenstern
    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.
    Bryan Jaeger
    The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired Jameson Taillon from the Chicago Cubs for cash considerations on Sunday, August 2. He was designated for assignment on July 27, but the move adds depth to a pitching staff that has been plagued by injuries all season. However, it may also be a precursor to a move that sees Kevin Gausman or Shane Bieber dealt away, as they're both available.
    Taillon has struggled this season, posting a 5.92 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and 68:27 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 76 innings. He pitched for Team Canada in the 2013 and 2026 World Baseball Classic, so it's a full-circle moment seeing him in Toronto. The Blue Jays are short on MLB-ready starting pitchers, especially if Gausman and/or Bieber are dealt, so Taillon brings experience to a starting rotation hoping to still be competitive in the second half of the season.
     
    Steve Drumwright
    While interleague play has knocked down a lot of the walls of a player being a better fit for one league over the other, sometimes a player just feels more comfortable in either the AL or NL.
    Could that be the case for Toronto Blue Jays right-handed reliever Jeff Hoffman?
    According to a report Saturday by Robert Murray of FanSided, the Chicago Cubs are among the teams interested in the Blue Jays' former closer. The Cubs entered Saturday as the top NL wild-card team. Hoffman finished an MLB-leading 59 games in 2025 with 33 saves, but did have issues down the stretch before becoming more reliable in the Jays' run to the World Series.
    But this year, those troubles persisted and he lost his role as the closer. He entered Saturday with a 2.46 FIP (4.02 ERA) in 50 appearances and 47 innings. Hoffman has a walk rate of 8.1% and a strikeout rate of 35.2%, both career bests. He has five saves in nine chances, but none since May 23.
    Hoffman is making $12.667 million this year and next year, but the Blue Jays are willing to move on from him with the team having never really been in contention this season and his erratic performance as a closer.
    He had success in a setup role in two seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies as well as one of his two years with the Cincinnati Reds. He began his MLB career with the Colorado Rockies.
    Steve Drumwright
    With the Toronto Blue Jays in sell mode after a disappointing first four months of the season, the players on expiring contracts are more likely than not to be wearing another uniform next week.
    Center fielder Daulton Varsho is one of those and he is drawing a good bit of interest, but not necessarily for his bat, but for the tremendous defense he provides.
    Among the teams looking for a center fielder is the Philadelphia Phillies, who indeed have "interest" in Varsho, according to MLB insider Jon Heyman. The Phillies are 6½ games off Atlanta's NL East lead, while tie with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the second (and third) NL wild card after Philadelphia was swept by the Miami Marlins. 
     
    While the Phillies are in need of an offensive boost—they rank 22nd in team OPS at .703—Varsho would provide more experience in center field than rookie Justin Crawford with maybe a nudge in the power department. Varsho has a .247/.308/.383 slash line with seven homers and 26 RBIs in 96 games to Crawford's .257/.306/.339 with two homers and 23 RBIs in 99 games. Crawford does have more steals 13-9.
    There are other pieces the Phillies and Jays match. Right-handed starters Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber are free agents after the year, while the Jays could also spin off bullpen pieces such as right-handed closer Jeff Hoffman.
     
    Brock Beauchamp
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    Leo Morgenstern
    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.
    Leo Morgenstern
    The Blue Jays have placed Patrick Corbin on the 15-day injured list with a teres major strain. The left-hander gave up four runs on seven hits over 2.1 innings in his latest outing. He owns an 8.18 ERA in four appearances since moving to the bullpen. Corbin is known for his durability; this is his first non-COVID-related IL stint since he had Tommy John surgery in 2014.
    In Corbin's place, Toronto recalled fellow southpaw Adam Macko. The rookie got off to a hot start for the Blue Jays, holding his opponents scoreless in 14 of his first 15 games. Unfortunately, he has given up nine runs in five innings over his last four appearances for the big league club. He now owns a 5.03 ERA (and a 4.80 xERA) on the season, with a 4.18 ERA/4.08 xERA at Triple-A Buffalo.
    In an additional transaction, the Jays sent a struggling Sean Keys back down to the Bisons. The 23-year-old dominated minor league pitching over the first three months of the season, earning his call to the show in late June. Since then, he has often looked overwhelmed by major league arms, going just 6-for-36 with one walk, one home run, and 13 strikeouts. He only played in four of the team's last 10 games.
    Davis Schneider will return to replace Keys on the bench. The fan favourite has been the definition of a quad-A player this year. He has embarrassed minor league pitching in a couple of stints with the Buffalo Bisons (173 wRC+), but frustratingly, he's never looked worse at the major league level.
    Leo Morgenstern
    In the five-year, $110 million contract that Kevin Gausman signed with the Toronto Blue Jays before the 2022 season, the right-hander negotiated a limited no-trade clause. He has the right to reject a trade to eight of the other 29 teams. 
    Today, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported which teams those are: the Reds, Brewers, Tigers, Mets, Athletics, White Sox, Pirates, and Mariners.
    Of those teams, the Reds, Mets, and Athletics will not be buyers at the trade deadline, while the Tigers are still on the fence. The Pirates are interested in buying without taking on salary. The Mariners will be buying, but starting pitching is the one thing they definitely don't need. In other words, most of the teams that might be interested in Gausman aren't covered under his partial no-trade clause. And if a contender like the White Sox or especially the Brewers came calling, there's a good chance Gausman would accept a trade anyway.
    With that said, Gausman told reporters (including MLB.com's Keegan Matheson) after his latest start, "I'm not going to think about [the possibility of being traded] too much. I'm a Blue Jay right now, and the focus is this team, this room and those guys."
    Leo Morgenstern
    Cole Carlon and the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a contract with a $2.4 million bonus, according to a report from MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis. The Jays took the left-hander with the No. 39 overall pick, which came with a slot value of $2,571,700. 
    According to MLB.com's Keegan Matheson, the Blue Jays are expected to use the money they saved on Carlon's underslot bonus to woo No. 131 overall pick Will Brick with an overslot offer. 
    You can read more about Carlon on Jays Centre at this link. You can also follow along with our Blue Jays Draft Tracker as the team comes to terms with more draft picks in the coming days.
    Leo Morgenstern
    No one knows how CBA negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA will affect the 2027 season. However, we now know what the schedule will look like, presuming no prolonged work stoppage. 
    The season will begin with one game on Wednesday, March 24. The teams for that game have not yet been announced. 
    Opening Day for the Blue Jays will be Thursday, March 25, 2027, unless they're chosen to play the day before. They will take on the Yankees in a three-game set in the Bronx, before travelling to Baltimore for a series with the Orioles. 
    The home opener is set for Friday, April 2, against the Mariners. 
    The Jays will be home for Canada Day (facing the Angels) before departing on a 10-game road trip heading into the All-Star break. The Midsummer Classic is scheduled for July 13 at Wrigley Field.
    Finally, the Blue Jays will end their 2027 regular season at home with series against the Yankees and Rays, wrapping up on September 26. You can find their full 2027 schedule here.
    Taylor Leonard
    With their pick in the fifth round of the 2026 MLB Draft, the Toronto Blue Jays select right-handed pitcher Nolan Higgins. He is a senior at Michigan State, leading the team with a 3-4 record and 5.20 ERA. In addition, Higgins had a 12.4 strikeout rate in relief for the Spartans. Higgins’s fastball is normally around mid-90’s and his walk rate has decreased significantly from 5.4 in 2025 to 2.4 this season.
     
    Samuel Cozart
    The Toronto Blue Jays selected Will Brick at #131 in the 2026 MLB Draft. Brick is a catcher from Christian Brothers High School in Tennessee. The slot value for the pick is $581,100. Brick was ranked 50th on our MLB Draft Consensus Board. 
    Here’s what our write-up of Brick by DiamondCentric draft expert Jamie Cameron: 
    Brick is another reclass originally part of the 2027 draft class who is currently committed to Mississippi State. Prep catching (and catching in general) is notoriously difficult to prognosticate, but Brick has well-rounded skills and tools that give me a greater level of optimism than most prospects in this demographic. Hitting from the right side of the plate, Brick has a clean swing and put up some of the best bat speed numbers on the 2025 summer showcase circuit. While he hasn't accessed more than average in-game power yet, Brick's swing and frame have the ingredients to get there. This is supplemented by good bat-to-ball skills and a solid approach, a combination of offensive skills that may eventually get Brick to above-average hit and power tools. Defensively, he's a strong prospect. It's a massive arm, with additional skill (sub 1.9 pop times) in controlling the running game. His receiving game (and defense in general) is as praised as his leadership capabilities and other intangibles. Prep catching is not a demographic that inspires confidence, but Brick is one of the few I'd bet on to make an impact as a pro.
    Leo Morgenstern
    In a surprising move, the Blue Jays are trading right-handed reliever Tommy Nance to the Twins. ESPN's Alden Gonzalez was the first to report the trade.
    According to Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith, the Blue Jays will receive catching prospect Ryan Sprock in exchange for Nance.
    This news might concern Blue Jays fans with the implication that the team will be selling at the deadline. However, it's more likely that they simply got an offer that they decided was too good to pass up for a middle reliever who's out of options. If the Jays pursue bullpen upgrades later this month, there's a good chance Nance would have been out of a job anyway, and this move guarantees the Blue Jays don't lose him for nothing. 
    Matthew Lenz
    While the Toronto Blue Jays are not out of the playoff picture by any means, they could look to do a soft sell at the trade deadline and move some expiring contracts to retool for 2027.
    Daulton Varsho is one of those expiring contracts, and Chandler Rome of The Athletic is reporting that the "[Houston] Astros focus at the trade deadline is a left-handed hitting outfielder." If the Blue Jays don't find any prospects that strike their fancy, the Astros do have more left-handed relievers than one bullpen realistically needs. This could allow the Blue Jays to deal from the Major League roster while also bolstering another position group for a playoff push. However, their bullpen isn't necessarily in need of more southpaws, either.
    Varsho has been a little underwhelming this year, slashing .242/.309/.398 this year with just seven home runs and seven stolen bases across 79 games. 
     
     
     
    Do you think the Blue Jays should trade Varsho? Join the conversation in the comments!
     
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