2026 MLB trade deadline: Blue Jays and Red Sox trade fits
Photo credit: © Eric Canha-Imagn Images
Jul 24, 2026, 08:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 23, 2026, 17:57 EDT
What a difference a little over a month can make.
Back on June 18, the Toronto Blue Jays were wrapping up a three-game series sweep of the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park that pulled the Blue Jays to 37-38 and dropped the Red Sox to 29-43.
Now the two clubs are set to meet again at Fenway, and paths that followed that sweep are a stark contrast. Since that game, the Blue Jays have gone 10-18 and have put a major dagger in any playoff aspirations, compared to a Red Sox team that has gone 23-6 over that span, a stretch that included a franchise-tying 15-game winning streak.
Currently holding the American League’s final Wild Card spot, the Red Sox have gone from obvious sellers to a team that is set to buy in a crowded AL playoff picture.
As AL East division rivals, a trade between the two clubs happens less often but look back to June 28, 2018, when the Blue Jays sent Steve Pearce to the Red Sox in exchange for Santiago Espinal. Pearce went on to win World Series Most Valuable Player, while Espinal became an All-Star and hit .273 with 11 home runs and 99 RBIs over parts of four seasons with the club.
What do the Red Sox need and who is a fit?
The easy route here is the players the Blue Jays have on contracts that expire following the completion of the 2026 regular season. That sets up a situation where the Blue Jays could dangle Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, and Max Scherzer as potential options to help solidify the Red Sox’s rotation.
Gausman is the prize jewel of the bunch as he would slot in alongside Sonny Gray, Ranger Suárez, and Payton Tolle atop the team’s rotation. With Garrett Crochet still sidelined with a shoulder injury, and no clear timeline for his return, the addition of Gausman would create a strong three-headed monster come playoff time.
Bieber and Scherzer would represent additions to the back end of the rotation that has seen struggles from both left-hander Patrick Sandoval and Brayan Bello. If Bieber can find the form he flashed after being acquired by the Blue Jays last season, when he pitched to a 3.57 ERA over seven starts, he would immediately give the Red Sox a better chance to win ballgames. With Connelly Early still sidelined with left elbow inflammation, the Red Sox may need to strike on a veteran-arm to help push them into playoff baseball.
While it seems unlikely that the Blue Jays would move anyone to the Red Sox with term remaining on their contract, that leaves the door open for another pending free agent in George Springer to return to an area he grew up close to.
A New Britain, Conn. native –about two hours from Fenway Park– Springer could bring a right-handed power bat to a lineup that has struggled to find consistent production. Springer’s 10 home runs in 2026 would place him in a tie for fourth on the Red Sox, and could work in a platoon role with Masataka Yoshida, who is currently receiving the bulk of the starts at the designated hitter spot.
After a slow start to the season, Springer has heated up as of late, highlighted by a .296 average with one home run and five RBIs over his last seven games. This hot stretch could be enough for the Red Sox to take a chance on the 36-year-old for the remainder of the season.
Sponsored by bet365
Breaking News
- 2026 MLB trade deadline: Blue Jays and Red Sox trade fits
- Instant Reaction: Blue Jays eke out win to end skid as deadline looms
- Blue Jays Minor League Musings: Arjun Nimmala’s power stroke and FCL Jays looking to repeat as champions
- Blue Jays sign 17 draftees and 8 non-drafted free agents
- Blue Jays claim Rudy Martin Jr. off waivers, place Addison Barger on 60-day IL