BOSTON — A three-game series at Fenway Park included some memorable moments for the Toronto Blue Jays, including the team’s first one-hitter since 2010.
But the offence managed just one run Sunday, leading to a series loss that further diminished the team’s already fading playoff odds down to 6.8 per cent. It’s disappointing for all involved, including Kevin Gausman, who said once again that he’d ideally prefer not to be traded.
At the same time, the Blue Jays do have an opportunity of sorts here. If they’re not going to reach the playoffs this year, the next eight days are a potentially valuable chance to bolster their team for the future by trading pending free agents like Gausman, Shane Bieber and Daulton Varsho for players who can help in 2027 and beyond.
Selling those players would be painful, but it’s shaping up to be the most logical move. Within a few days, the front office will have to make a final call, communicate their goals to rival teams and execute their preferred strategy ahead of next Monday’s deadline.
Already, the Red Sox and Nationals got started with one notable trade. As the week unfolds, there will surely be many more around MLB. With that in mind, let’s take stock of some recent headlines, their significance for the Blue Jays and what comes next:
Latest news from the trade market:
Weekend news out of Boston and New York will shape the trade market, as one early deal was completed and the game’s biggest star suffered a setback — at least when it comes to pitching.
The Red Sox acquired Curtis Mead from the Nationals for Connelly Early and while some see the deal as an overpay by Boston, there’s no denying the offensive upside of the 25-year-old Mead, who has hit 17 home runs with an .852 OPS since being designated for assignment by the White Sox this March.
Meanwhile, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters at Citi Field that Shohei Ohtani skipped a scheduled bullpen session because his left knee has had “a little bit of regression” and still “just doesn’t feel 100 per cent.” That means the two-way star will remain limited to DH duties with no clear timeline back to the Dodgers’ rotation.
Significance for the market:
As the Red Sox-Nationals deal shows, executives have to get creative when so many teams remain within striking distance of the playoffs. Need-for-need trades like this allow teams to deal from big-league surplus to improve weak spots elsewhere on their roster. This won’t be the last such deal this summer, with the Mariners (starting pitching) and Padres (bullpen) among the contending teams positioned to trade from their big-league rosters.
Meanwhile, the Ohtani news will create some interesting decisions for the Dodgers even with a 12-game lead in NL West. Within the next week, they’d ideally gain an understanding of what’s possible from Ohtani on the mound and even at the plate. Those answers will ultimately inform how aggressive baseball ops leader Andrew Friedman needs to be — and at which positions.
Significance for the Blue Jays:
With Jesus Sanchez now rehabbing, the Blue Jays’ outfield logjam is about to become even more pronounced. If GM Ross Atkins is going to pull off a need-for-need trade, it’ll make sense to consider dealing from a group including Sanchez, Daulton Varsho, Yohendrick Piñango, Nathan Lukes, Myles Straw and even George Springer.
All except Varsho and Springer are under team control beyond 2026, but Sanchez may become a non-tender candidate over the winter and Straw and Lukes have proven how well they fit as complementary players on contending teams. Plus, if the Blue Jays are turning their attention to 2027, they could use playing time for the likes of Piñango, Sean Keys and perhaps Jay Harry down the stretch.
With that in mind, Varsho and Sanchez are the most obvious trade candidates here.
A couple of years ago, the Blue Jays blew it up, making nine trades that transformed the big-league roster and augmented the farm system. Two years later, there’s a strong case for selling again, but some in the industry expect any sell-off would be smaller in scale this time.
Under the circumstances, discussing deals for pending free agents like Gausman, Bieber and Varsho is a must, painful though it may be. But the Blue Jays aren’t going to sell for the sake of selling, and they don’t appear to be in a rush to trade controllable players or dump salary.
Atkins has never made fewer than three trades during deadline week as GM. But maybe this year it’s three to five moves, rather than nine.
Elsewhere around the league, the catching market is especially active this year. There was demand for catching even before Shea Langeliers and Kyle Teel went down with significant injuries. That demand is even greater now with the Rays and Yankees among the teams actively pushing for catching help from what I’ve heard.
Series to watch: Orioles at Tigers
The stakes are high at Comerica Park this week, as the Orioles and Tigers are both within striking distance of .500. Whoever wins this series will stay in contention while a sweep would be devastating for either team.
And of course all eyes will be on Tarik Skubal when he pitches Wednesday. That outing could be his final game with the Tigers, but it’s also a chance for him to keep his team in the race. Regardless, there’s likely to be a significant contingent of pro scouts on hand to see it unfold.