The Astros are NOT pursuing George Springer, per source.
2026 MLB trade deadline: Blue Jays and Astros trade fits
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Jul 30, 2026, 17:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 30, 2026, 17:36 EDT
The Toronto Blue Jays have a thing for trading players to the Houston Astros while selling at the deadline.
In fact, in all four years that the Blue Jays have sold since Ross Atkins and Mark Shaprio took over, they’ve completed a trade with the Astros. Just two years ago, the Blue Jays sent left-handed starter Yusei Kikuchi to the American League West team.
In return, the Jays acquired Joey Loperfido, Will Wagner, and Jake Bloss. Loperfido was eventually traded back for Jesús Sánchez, while Wagner was traded before the 2025 trade deadline for Brandon Valenzuela.
The trade before the 2017 deadline was one of the better ones made by Atkins, as the Jays acquired Teoscar Hernández and Nori Aoki for Francisco Liriano. The other two trades weren’t bad, but also not very good. In 2018, they sent Roberto Osuna to the American League West team for David Paulino, Ken Giles, and Héctor Pérez.
In 2019 they sent Aaron Sanchez, Joe Biagini, and Cal Stevenson to the Astros for Derek Fisher. The less said about that trade, the better.
Can the two teams make it five deadlines with a trade since 2016? Well, let’s take at the Astros’ needs, as well as what the Blue Jays have to offer.
What do the Astros need?
Like the Cleveland Guardians, who we looked at last, the Astros need a bat. In particular, they need an outfielder. In this The Athletic article written by Chandler Rome, it notes that Astros’ general manager Dana Brown is looking for an outfielder. While they were hesitant to acquire a left-handed batter, it seems as if the Astros are open to it now.
As it stands, the Astros have four left-handed batters on the 26-man roster, with two of them being outfielders. Centre field has mainly been split by four players, Jake Meyers, Brice Matthews, Taylor Trammell, and Lucas Spence. All but Trammell have a wRC+ below 72 when playing centre field.
Another area that they could use some help in is their rotation. Hunter Brown and Ronel Blanco are the most notable names, with Tatsuya Imai, Peter Lambert, and Hayden Wesneski round out the rotation. Of the five, only Lambert has pitched over 100 innings and has an ERA below 4.50. Brown, who has made just nine starts, has a 3.45 ERA.
The bullpen is always an area of need for any contender. Left-handed pitchers Steven Okert and Josh Hader have an ERA of 2.50 or below. Right-handed pitcher Kai-Wei Teng has a 2.22 ERA, and no other reliever with 20 or more innings pitched out of the pen has a sub 3.50 ERA.
Who do the Jays have to sell?
One Blue Jay the Astros likely won’t pursue is former Astro, George Springer. While his bat makes sense, Springer is a full-time designated hitter and has played just one game in the outfield. Unfortunately for the Blue Jays (and fortunately for the Astros), Yordan Álvarez has the spot locked down. In fact, Will Kunkel reported that they are not looking to reunite with Springer.
That said, there’s still some fits. Daulton Varsho may not be having the most productive season with the bat or even with the glove, but he’d give the Astros more of a power option in centre field. And some stability as well. Offensively, that’s pretty much all the Jays have who fit the Astros. Ernie Clement isn’t a fit because of a strong infield, and former Astros Jesús Sánchez and Myles Straw don’t provide all that much offence.
The Blue Jays’ pitchers who are available may be a fit, though. Kevin Gausman instantly becomes an important member of the rotation if the Astros acquire him. Shane Bieber is another candidate to be moved, as both players are on expiring contracts. In the bullpen, Jeff Hoffman would give the Astros a high-leverage righty, as would Tyler Rogers.
There’s certainly a pathway for the two teams to make a trade, and history tells us that when the Blue Jays sell, the Astros buy. We’ll see what happens ahead of August 3rd’s 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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