The Toronto Blue Jays are at risk of dropping out of the American League Wild Card race, which may lead them to become sellers at the MLB Trade Deadline. Although stars like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette are names that might come to mind as trade candidates, that is not currently the plan.
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Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports, “The Blue Jays, whose season is already on the brink, plan to place starter Yusei Kikuchi, catcher Danny Jansen, reliever Yimi Garcia, DH Justin Turner, and outfielder Kevin Kiermaier on the trade block. Yet, they still want to make one last run with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. They should be staying until at least this winter, if not next summer.”
It is intriguing that the Blue Jays intend to keep Guerrero and Bichette. If the franchise opts for a full rebuild, these two could fetch significant value. However, trading them would be a significant move since the franchise has aimed to contend with this core for several years. This past offseason, the Blue Jays pursued major acquisitions, being in the running for Shohei Ohtani and rumored to be interested in Juan Soto.
Ultimately, the Blue Jays missed out on Ohtani and Soto, who went to the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees, respectively. Now, they might need to sell off some pieces to make another run with their core next year. Guerrero has one more year of arbitration before free agency, while Bichette has two years left on his contract.
Can the Blue Jays get good value at the deadline? Nightengale lists the players most likely to be traded, who could still bring in decent returns.
Yusei Kikuchi, though not having a dominant season, is an experienced pitcher who could serve as a back-end starter or long reliever. He is also a free agent at season’s end, making him a sensible trade candidate. Justin Turner and Kevin Kiermaier, both on one-year deals, could be valuable depth pieces for contenders. Danny Jansen, having a solid offensive season, could be a great addition for teams in need of a catcher.
As for bullpen pieces, Yimi Garcia is mentioned by Nightengale, and Jordan Romano, despite dealing with elbow discomfort, could also be a trade name if he recovers.
