Heading into spring training full of lofty expectations, it’s safe to say that baseball fans would not have expected the Toronto Blue Jays to be in this position days before the August 3rd MLB trade deadline.
Last October, the Blue Jays captured the hearts of fans across Canada, only to experience heartbreak by losing Game 7 of the World Series in 11 innings at Rogers Centre by a 5-4 score.
Looking to take that next step in winning their first World Series since 1993, things haven’t gone according to plan for the Jays who have had to endure injuries to key players such as catcher Alejandro Kirk, outfielder Addison Barger, slugging first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr, and pitchers Shane Bieber along with Max Scherzer to name a few.
With July quickly coming to a close, it looks like the Jays, who find themselves 14.0 games behind the American League East Division leading Tampa Bay Rays and 5.5 games out of that third and final Wild Card spot, are sellers. As a result, they shouldn’t hesitate in trading such talents as starting pitchers Kevin Gausman and Bieber or outfielders George Springer and Daulton Varsho who despite being on the back nine of their careers are all extremely talented players who could play a big role in helping a contending team win.
Toronto Blue Jays Should Be Sellers At Upcoming Trade Deadline
Gausman Deserves a World Series Ring Before Retiring
Gausman, who has enjoyed a successful career pitching for the Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants and Cincinnati Reds is currently pitching in his fifth year with the Blue Jays.
This 35 year-old, who is an unrestricted free agent after this season has accomplished many great achievements in his career such as eclipsing 2,000 career strikeouts, (2,071), more than 100 career wins (116) and eclipsing more than 2,000 innings. (2026.2)
However, the one thing eluding Gausman is that elusive World Series ring which he came so close to achieving last fall with the Jays.
“It’s impossible to ignore nowadays with social media and the amount of people that are here right now,” Gausman recently stated. “We kind of all know what’s going on. Unfortunately, we knew we needed to come out of the (Second-half) gate strong, and we really haven’t. We just haven’t played very well lately.”
If the Jays decide to move Gausman, they would have to navigate around the clause in his contract saying that he could block a trade to eight specific teams. These teams are Milwaukee Brewers, Reds, Detroit Tigers, New York Mets, Pittsburgh Prates, Athletics, Seattle Mariners and Chicago White Sox.
Back in February, Gausman mentioned to The Athletic that he’s considering possibly retiring following this season.
“I think it’s definitely a possibility,” Gausman told Mitch Bannon of The Athletic. “I have really loved my time here. Do I know what’s ahead of me? I don’t really know. No idea. It’s something that I have definitely thought about in the offseason. But now that we’re here, I’m just focused on this year. I’m gonna give everything I have for this organization and this team this year. What’s beyond that? I really have no idea.”
If this is Gausman’s last year, than he deserves to have a chance to once again play some October baseball and chase that World Series ring.
Following Gausman’s July 26th start at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox, he has so far this year a 4-9 record with a 4.51 ERA along with 117 strikeouts.
Shane Bieber Would Draw Interest From Contending Teams
Another Jays pitcher who could draw considerable interest in the trade market is 31 the year-old Bieber, who since coming off the disabled list in late June with elbow inflammation, has been getting better in each start. Since making his season debut on June 23rd against the Houston Astros, Bieber has gone 2-1 with a 4.70 ERA along with 22 strikeouts in 30.2 innings.
In his last two starts, Bieber’s performance was very encouraging for contending teams looking for a proven starter.
Bieber’s second to last start came on July 18th when over 6 innings he gave up only three hits while striking out six in an eventual 1-0 win against the White Sox.
Five days later, Bieber was once again dealing and showing no ill-effects from his lengthy layoff as he gave up only three hits and struck out three while yielding only one earned run during a 3-1 win against the Rays.
Unfortunately Bieber had to battle an assortment of injuries during his career. Still he’s had an unbelievable career with the highlight coming in 2020 when after going 8-1 with a 1.63 ERA and 122 strikeouts, won the AL Cy Young Award. That same season Bieber was awarded with the Triple Crown (leader in ERA, strikeouts and wins), and was named to the All-MLB First Team.
Following seven seasons with Cleveland, Bieber was traded on July 31 2025, to the Blue Jays where he went 4-2 with a 3.57 ERA and played a big role in helping the Jays get to the World Series.
After last season, Bieber’s $16 million option was picked up by the Jays. Bieber might only have a handful of starts under his belt this season due to rehab from that elbow inflammation, but he has definitely shown that he can make a difference for a contending team as he will definitely draw interest at this year’s trade deadline.
Given Bieber’s age and the fact that he isn’t signed for next season, the Jays should definitely be open to trading him.
Good Chance Veteran Outfielders Varsho and Springer Will Be Traded
Blue Jays outfielder Varsho recently turned 30 years-old and Springer, who will be 37 in September, are both after the season free agents.
It’s the same story with Bieber and Gausman in that with the Jays out of contention, might as well trade aging talented players as opposed to having them leave next offseason for nothing in return.
Varsho, who is in his fourth season as a Blue Jay has after 105 games, found himself hitting for a .248 batting average with 77 hits, 38 runs, seven home runs and 25 RBI’s while of course playing his usual outstanding defense.
Currently this veteran, who came to Toronto on December 23, 2022 in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks, is playing on a one-year contract worth $10.7 million.
“As a source told Athlon Sports, the Blue Jays are listening on starting pitcher Kevin Gausman and center fielder Daulton Varsho,” Pat Ragazzo from Athlon Sports reported in a July 23 article called “Source: Blue Jays Listening on Kevin Gausman, Daulton Varsho.”
Apparently showing interest in Gausman and Varsho are contending teams such as the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, Astros and the Rays.
Varsho, who is known for his great fielding is a Gold Glove winner from the 2024 season.
Meanwhile despite his age, Springer still swings a dangerous bat and can be a tremendous asset to a contending team such as the Red Sox down the stretch.
During his career, Springer has always come up clutch in playoff time with his finest hour coming in 2017 when he batted .379 with 11 hits, five home runs, seven RBIs and eight runs scored in winning World Series MVP after helping the Houston Astros win in all.
A possible fit for Springer, who is from Connecticut would be the Red Sox who have great pitching but are a couple of bats short of being a World Series contender.
Springer has had an inconsistent season and is currently hitting .233 with 11 homeruns and 30 RBIs.
You can also bet that with the recent injury to Yankees All-Star outfielder Cody Bellinger, that they will be looking for a right handed outfielders bat such as a Springer.
This is the time for Toronto to get rid of their aging free agent players who won’t be back, and start to collect some draft picks or bring in some new talent with an eye towards 2027. They are to far out of a wildcard to make a run for it this year.
