Why Current Blue Jays Trade Buzz is Misguided Amid Rough Start

Toronto Blue Jays President & CEO Mark Shapiro (left) and EVP, Baseball Operations and GM Ross Atkins (right). John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Why Current Blue Jays Trade Buzz is Misguided Amid Rough Start

Originally posted on Toronto Blue Jays on SI
By Ben Fisher | Last updated Apr 21, 2026 4:00 PM ET

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As any Toronto Blue Jays fan can tell you, injuries have been the story of the club's 2026 season to date. And nowhere has that been more pronounced than in the starting pitching ranks.

Initially boasting no fewer than nine MLB-caliber starters, the Blue Jays have since seen their depth thinned dramatically on account of injuries to Shane Bieber (right elbow inflammation), Trey Yesavage (right shoulder impingement), Cody Ponce (ACL sprain), José Berríos (right elbow stress fracture), Bowden Francis (right UCL reconstruction surgery) and prospect Ricky Tiedemann (left elbow soreness).

To summarize, that is one former Cy Young winner (Bieber), a projected AL Rookie of the Year contender (Yesavage), a key free agent signing (Ponce) and a two-time All-Star (Berríos), plus additional potential depth, on the sidelines. The bevy of injuries already warranted the signing of veteran depth starter Patrick Corbin.

For a team that loaded up on pitching this past winter to bolster their World Series aspirations, the early string of bad injury luck has hardly been ideal.

Blue Jays Shouldn't Look Outside Organization for More Pitching Help

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But while a starting five of Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Eric Lauer, Max Scherzer and Corbin wasn't what Toronto brass had envisioned their rotation to look like at the outset of the season, that doesn't mean that any trade is imminent - nor should it.

Trade speculation has hovered over the Blue Jays of late amidst their pitching injury woes. SI's Patrick McAvoy recently highlighted the club as potential suitors for both Miami's Sandy Alcántara and Minnesota's Joe Ryan, front line pitchers who could find new homes before the August 3 trade deadline.

However, the missing arms won't be sidelined forever. While Ponce and Francis are slated to miss the remained of the 2026 campaign, all of Toronto's other injured pitchers are expected back at some point.

Yesavage is poised to make one more rehab start at Triple-A Buffalo before returning to the big club. Meanwhile, Bieber does not have a concrete return timeline but is slated to throw a bullpen session on today. Berríos had a shaky first rehab outing and will make his next one on Wednesday. In other words, reinforcements are coming.

The return of Yesavage will likely knock Corbin out of the rotation, at least for the time being. And if the Blue Jays can remain mostly injury-free on the pitching front moving forward, then an eventual starting five of Gausman, Cease, Bieber, Yesavage and one of Berríos, Lauer or Scherzer is much more what the club had in mind.

While it's true you can never have too much pitching, acquisition cost must be considered. Adding someone of the stature of Alcántara or Ryan would likely require a heavy dip into the organization's prospect capital, and Toronto may be reluctant to dangle one of their top infield prospects, JoJo Parker or Arjun Nimmala.

Trading for front line pitching is always an exciting proposition - just look at the Blue Jays' invigorating past deadline deal for David Price and last year's Bieber acquisition. But such a move seems unnecessary and irresponsible when the full potential of the club's rotation has yet to be realized.

This article first appeared on Toronto Blue Jays on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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