Looking at who the Blue Jays could trade if they fall out of contention

The fate of the 2025 Toronto Blue Jays is yet to be determined.

In an ideal world, they hope to be contenders, and with a 31-28 record, they are by no means out of the race for a postseason spot. Toronto currently sit one game out of the final Wild Card spot and five and a half games back of the division lead, a division where they sit second after a four-game series sweep of the Athletics.

An ideal world doesn’t always happen, though. Everything went right for the Blue Jays in 2023, but they lost two games in the American League Wild Card Series and went home without a win in the postseason for the third time in four years, missing it entirely in 2021.

The 2024 season was the complete opposite, as nothing went right for the Jays as they finished 74-88. Granted, by the time Game #60 rolled around in 2024, the Jays had an inverse record of what they have right now, 28-31. It became increasingly clear that they needed to sell before the trade deadline.

Even though they’re still in the race, there’s an argument to be had that selling is the smarter idea, as this core just hasn’t been able to win any postseason games. But with general manager Ross Atkins’ contract expiring at the end of the season, it doesn’t seem like they’ll sell unless they’re out of it like last year.

Assuming everything goes wrong over the next two months, who could the Blue Jays end up selling at the trade deadline?

Bo Bichette

The reason why shortstop Bo Bichette is here is that at the end of the season, he’ll become a free agent and be able to sign anywhere. If the Jays are out of the race and there’s no indication they’ll be able to re-sign him, trading Bichette may be the route they’ll need to take.

It’s been a nice rebound year for Bichette, as he’s slashing .277/.325/.430 with seven home runs in 268 plate appearances for a 114 wRC+ and a 1 fWAR. He’s already surpassed his home run total from last season, and he’s become a reliable player once again.

If Bichette isn’t traded, the Jays likely offer him a qualifying offer. If he signs elsewhere, that’d turn into a 2026 pick after the fourth round, less than ideal. Bichette was mentioned in Jeff Passan’s early preview.

Chris Bassitt

Like Bichette, Chris Bassitt is on an expiring deal. Of any pitcher on this list, he’s the most likely to get moved, as he has plenty of experience, including three postseason starts.

Bassitt had an incredible start to his season, but his ERA currently sits at 3.80 with a 3.57 FIP in 66.1 innings pitched. His K% currently sits at 23.9%, which would be the second-highest of his career if the season were to end today.

Bassitt’s contract ends at the end of the season, and he isn’t entitled to a qualifying offer as he received one after the 2022 season. He has an eight-team no-trade list. Bassitt was also mentioned in Jeff Passan’s most recent article for ESPN.

Max Scherzer

Currently on the 60-day Injured List, Max Scherzer made one start with the Blue Jays, giving up two earned runs in three innings before being pulled from his start due to a thumb injury. That thumb injury is still giving him issues, which in turn has left the fifth spot in the rotation in question for essentially all of the season.

If the Jays are out of it and Scherzer is back before the trade deadline, Scherzer has a one-year deal with a full no-trade clause, meaning he’s in control of where he ends up.

Chad Green

Chad Green seemed like a player who could’ve been dealt before last year’s trade deadline, as he had a 1.62 ERA in 33.1 innings pitched. By the end of August, he had a 1.61 ERA in 44.2 innings pitched, before struggling mightily in September.

Green is in the final year of his deal and currently has a 3.91 ERA and 5.72 FIP in 25.1 innings pitched. Like last season, the difference between his ERA and FIP is enormous, thanks to a lack of strikeouts and giving up home runs.

If the Jays end up selling, he could be a reliever they look to trade, as he was another player mentioned in Jeff Passan’s article for ESPN.

Erik Swanson

Erik Swanson is the last player of note on the Blue Jays who is on an expiring deal. The Jays acquired him from the Seattle Mariners for Teoscar Hernandez, meaning he’s in the larger Drew Hutchison trade tree.

After a good 2023 season, Swanson struggled with injury and poor performance since. The second half of the 2024 season was encouraging for the righty, but he was only recently activated from the Injured List and gave up one earned run in his inning on Sunday.

Time will tell what happens with Swanson before the trade deadline.

Daulton Varsho

Of anyone on this list, Daulton Varsho is the player the Jays should attempt to re-sign to a long-term contract. The outfielder started the season on the Injured List, played 24 games where he hit eight home runs and slashed .207/.240/.543 for a 108 wRC+, and then suffered a grade-1 hamstring strain and returned to the Injured List.

With Varsho, the Jays know they’re getting the best defensive outfielder in the league. His power potential is there as well, hitting 27 home runs in his final season with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2022. Varsho was hitting home runs at an incredible pace before his injury, hopefully, he can get back to it when healthy.

The outfielder has another season of arbitration before becoming a free agent after the 2026 season. That’s plenty of time to sign him to an extension, although his trade value is one of the highest for any player on this list.

Kevin Gausman

Kevin Gausman was another pitcher mentioned by Jeff Passan in his article, meaning he deserves a mention here.

So far this season, he has a 3.82 ERA, which is similar to the 3.83 ERA he posted last season. Granted, his 3.22 FIP is much more encouraging than the 3.77 FIP he had in 2024. All that said, Gausman’s strikeout rate has dropped from 31.1% in 2023 to 21.4% in 2024, and back up to 24.5% in 2025.

Like Varsho, Gausman has term left on his contract as he won’t become a free agent until after the 2026 season. Due to that fact, contenders may be willing to give up a haul for a solid starter who once pitched like an ace.

Jose Berrios

Jose Berrios is similar to Gausman, as you know what you’re getting with the veteran starter. This season, Berrios has a 3.86 ERA and a 4.41 FIP in 70 innings pitched, with a 22.2 K% and a 9.6 BB%. The righty tends to eat innings and has an ERA above 4, which is solid for the backend of a team’s rotation.

Berrios potentially has another few seasons left on his deal, but has an opt-out after the 2026 season, meaning he may become a free agent sooner rather than later. With a limited no-trade clause, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Jays attempt to trade Berrios if they go into full rebuild mode.

George Springer

It looked as if George Springer was on the decline, and the Blue Jays would’ve been lucky to get his money off the books. However, the outfielder has come back with a vengeance this season, posting a .257/.371/.474 slash line with eight home runs in 213 plate appearances for a 142 wRC+ and a 0.8 fWAR. If he can maintain his wRC+, it’ll be his best since joining the Blue Jays, edging out his 140 wRC+ in 2021 and his 133 wRC+ in 2022.

Like Varsho, Gausman, and potentially Berrios, Springer’s contract ends after the 2026 season, meaning he could be traded in the next two seasons if the Jays end up selling. They could sell high on Springer this trade deadline thanks to his comeback season, but that doesn’t seem likely.

Yimi Garcia

Last season, the Blue Jays traded Yimi Garcia to the Seattle Mariners for Jonatan Clase and Jacob Sharp. This past off-season, they signed him to a two-year deal, a nice piece of business considering Clase has become a useful player for the Jays this season.

Garcia was mentioned in Passan’s article in passing, noting that he’s signed through the 2026 season. As he has been throughout his Blue Jays tenure, Garcia has been solid this season with a 31.5 ERA and a 2.98 FIP in 20 innings pitched. It’s worth noting that Garcia is currently on the 15-day Injured List with a shoulder injury.

Yariel Rodriguez

Of the players we’ve looked at in this article, the two that I don’t see the Blue Jays trading are Daulton Varsho and Yariel Rodriguez. The latter wouldn’t have been mentioned on this list if not for Passan mentioning him in his article, noting:

“Yariel Rodriguez, with three years of club control after 2025, has been excellent out of the bullpen and could eventually emerge as a starting option on a team with fewer arms than Toronto.”

The 28-year-old has quickly become a key piece to the Jays’ bullpen, posting a 2.73 ERA and a 4.16 FIP in 29.2 innings pitched, with a 25.2 K% and a 9 BB%. He’s a versatile pitcher as well, starting in all 21 games he appeared in last season, and being used in high-leverage leverage in 2025.

That said, a team looking to trade for him would have to blow the Jays’ socks away as he is under contract until at least the 2027 season, before he has a player option after the 2027 season.