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The 2024 trade deadline moves are starting to pay dividends for the Blue Jays
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Photo credit: © Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Feb 24, 2026, 19:30 ESTUpdated: Feb 24, 2026, 18:58 EST
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The 2024 season was a pretty tough one for the Toronto Blue Jays.
After making the playoffs in three of the last four seasons, just narrowly missing out in 2021, the 2024 season started poorly, and there was no rally like there had been in the past and in 2025. By the end of July, it was becoming increasingly clear that the postseason wasn’t an option for the lone Canadian team.
It seems odd to say that a season in which the Blue Jays finished 74-88 was the best thing to happen to the franchise in recent memory (World Series appearance aside), but that’s exactly the case. Why? Well, because the Blue Jays aced the trade deadline, and it’s already started to pay dividends for the team.
Things kicked off on July 26th, 2024, as the Jays sent Yimi García to the Mariners in exchange for Jacob Sharp and Jonatan Clase. The former struggled in 2025, but Clase has an interesting blend of speed, defensive chops, and power. While he hasn’t hit for much power since joining the Blue Jays, he’s a strong breakout candidate. This trade is helped by the fact that they re-signed García by the end of the season.
Nate Pearson, once one of the best prospects in baseball, hadn’t quite developed as planned, and he was in the midst of a “meh” season. On July 27th, the Jays decided to cut their losses, trading him to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Josh Rivera and Yohendrick Piñango. Like Sharp, Rivera hasn’t quite hit well since joining the team, but Piñango has emerged as a top 10 prospect in the Blue Jays system and could make his big league debut as soon as the 2026 season with a good start to the year.
That same day, the Jays traded the longest-tenured Blue Jay, Danny Jansen, to their division rivals, the Boston Red Sox. In return, the Jays received Eddinson Paulino, Cutter Coffey, and Gilberto Batista. Coffey is the best of the bunch, as he has some serious power with the ability to stick at the hot corner, but has questions about his hit tool. Batista spent his 2025 season with the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays with mixed results, while Paulino is currently a free agent.
On July 29th, the Jays made a second trade with the Mariners, sending veteran infielder Justin Turner to Pacific Coast for RJ Schreck. Like Piñango, Schreck has developed into a top 10 prospect in the system and could make his debut this season.
Another savvy move saw the Jays trade their top signing from the 2023/24 off-season, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Charles McAdoo. The third baseman has some serious raw power and broke out in his first professional season. He also got hot from June until the end of the season and is another prospect to keep an eye on.
Not all trades were ground breaking. The Jays traded Trevor Richards to the Minnesota Twins for Jay Harry, a non-factor trade. Additionally, they traded big leaguer Kevin Kiermaier to the Los Angeles Dodgers for big leaguer Ryan Yarbrough, allowing Kiermaier to go out on top.
The move that has already paid dividends for the Blue Jays came on July 29th, as they sent Yusei Kikuchi to the Houston Astros for Joey Loperfido, Will Wagner, and Jake Bloss. Both Loperfido and Wagner had cups of tea with the Jays, with Loperfido having a solid 2025 campaign in his short stint, but both players have been traded.
Wagner was moved ahead of the 2025 trade deadline to the San Diego Padres for Brandon Valenzuela, a defence-first switch-hitting catcher with some pop in his bat. There’s a legitimate chance that Valenzuela could be the Blue Jays’ backup catcher of the future.
Loperfido was traded recently, as the Jays sent him back to the Astros in exchange for Jesús Sánchez. With excellent bat speed and strong corner outfield defence, Sánchez is a breakout candidate under the tutelage of Blue Jays hitting coach David Popkins.
That leaves Bloss, who missed all but six starts with the Buffalo Bisons in 2025 due to Tommy John surgery. It’s likely he’ll be back in game action at some point in 2026, with the potential to impact the middle of their rotation.
This trade deadline set the Blue Jays up nicely for the future. They already got a big leaguer out of it, with two top 10 prospects, as well as interesting young players/prospects like Bloss, Valenzuela Clase, McAdoo, and Coffey. That helps elevate their farm system, something that can be useful come the trade deadline.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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