TORONTO – Two weeks removed from one of the more clever and unique trade deadlines the Toronto Blue Jays have pulled off, it’s a good time to revisit what they accomplished and the motivations behind their approach.
The short-term results certainly reflect well, as they’ve altered the course of their season in dramatic fashion, their odds of winning a wild-card spot surging from 4.4 per cent on Aug. 3 to 17.7 per cent Monday, second only to the Baltimore Orioles, at 23.2 per cent, among the seven clubs within 2.5 games of the American League’s final playoff spot.
But it’s in helping the now while also addressing some substantial medium-to-longer-term issues that makes the way they flipped Kevin Gausman, Daulton Varsho, Jeff Hoffman, Adam Macko and top-100 prospect Arjun Nimmala an intriguing case study.
Throughout the season, as the Blue Jays have worked to correct the big-league club, there’s been concurrent concern about gaps in the farm system that could make replacing coming roster needs more challenging.
The July 10 trade of reliever Tommy Nance to the Minnesota Twins for high-A catcher/third baseman Ryan Sprock – taking a replaceable asset and turning it into a future piece without hurting the present on-field product – was a reflection of both that worry and how the organization aimed to address the issue.
Still, knowing they had both immediate and next-season needs on the mound and at the plate, the Blue Jays understood that they weren’t going to be able to solve for all their needs in one trade deadline, or one off-season.
So, as they explored the buy and sell markets ahead of the Aug. 3 cutoff, they identified the opportunity to get José Soriano as a way to get the jump on their off-season work, while backfilling for Gausman’s departure in the present. Gausman returned a near-term piece in centre-fielder Brett Bateman, along with a future piece in infielder Ty Southisene, to help cover for the departure of Varsho, also on an expiring contract, and he returned another starter in Spencer Arrighetti, bolstering the rotation outside of free agency.
In turn, that should help the Blue Jays focus time and resources on the offence during the winter, a fix that was always going to be more complicated. Bateman has certainly helped since his arrival and looks like someone who’s going to factor for 2027 and beyond, but more external help will be needed for a group that’s 29th out of 30 in runs scored.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the most vital lever in changing that and no matter what else happens, he’s locked in at first base, so bolstering around him, Kazuma Okamoto and Alejandro Kirk is essential. Especially since Addison Barger and Anthony Santander, both coming off major surgeries, offer uncertainty as well as potential impact.
The outfield is their clearest area of opportunity while the end of George Springer’s contract opens up the DH spot, too, and free agency presents some interesting options in switch-hitter Ian Happ, Taylor Ward, Randy Arozarena and Luis Robert Jr., among others. Okamoto’s success may also open up more avenues into the Japanese market, with Cubs right-fielder Seiya Suzuki a pending free agent, while the Blue Jays are sure to have interest in Hanshin Tigers slugger Teruaki Sato, who is expected to be posted.
Flipping Jeff Hoffman for three prospects, headlined by A-ball right-hander Dasan Hill, also restored some system depth after the Soriano deal and the Blue Jays can use that in the trade market. But they’re also likely to be in the market for another reliever of Hoffman’s calibre, now, too.
However that all plays out, the Blue Jays will have more flexibility thanks to their hybrid deadline to get Soriano, Arrighetti and Bateman among others this month, using pending free agents and prospects to bolster their chances now and in 2027.
Bolstering the bullpen: While the Blue Jays backfilled for Kevin Gausman and Daulton Varsho, they did not for Jeff Hoffman, their final deal just before the deadline. That opened up a hole in the bullpen, one they believed they could either solve internally or from an external option that shakes loose.
Enter former closer Paul Sewald, claimed on waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, who has the potential to give the Blue Jays a middle-innings leverage boost.
The 36-year-old made his debut with 1.2 scoreless innings in Sunday’s 4-3, 10-inning loss to the New York Yankees and is focused on “getting back to being who I am,” on the mound.