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2026 MLB trade deadline: Blue Jays and Rays trade fits
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Photo credit: © Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jul 21, 2026, 15:45 EDTUpdated: Jul 21, 2026, 15:37 EDT
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The similarities between the 2025 Toronto Blue Jays and 2026 Tampa Bay Rays are uncanny.
While the Rays don’t hit a bunch of home runs, the Rays have a small-ball approach with a league-low strikeout rate, much like the 2025 Blue Jays. Last season, the Blue Jays bought at the deadline while the Rays had a hybrid approach, adding big-league ready players for the future. This year, the two teams have flip-flopped.
After 99 games, the Rays have an American League-leading 57-42 record, sitting a game and a half ahead of the New York Yankees for the top spot in the AL East. With their 7-1 victory over the Blue Jays on Monday, the difference between the two teams is staggering.
The Jays haven’t been able to hit all season, leading to an AL East worst 46-54 record, five and a half games behind the final wild card spot and 11 and a half games behind the Rays for top spot in the division. With how the season has gone, it’s pretty clear that the Jays will sell at the deadline, but may take a hybrid approach like the Rays did last season.
Being in the same division, the Jays and Rays don’t often trade with one another. Their most recent trade was a small one, as the Rays sent cash to the Jays for Brandon Eisert. The last notable trade between the two teams actually came at a trade deadline, as the selling Blue Jays sent Eric Sogard to the Floridian-based team for Curtis Taylor and Edisson Gonzalez in 2019.
That being said, if the Jays and Rays were to make a trade, who could be on the move, and who is actually a fit for the Rays?

Who do the Jays have to sell?

Barring a remarkable turnaround, they’ll likely attempt to sell off their expiring contract. Namely, Daulton Varsho, George Springer, Shane Bieber, and Kevin Gausman. They had a similar approach two seasons ago, though they traded two players who still had at least a season of control remaining.
Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, the reason they’re in this hole is in part due to Springer and Varsho’s regression, while Gausman has had a tough few months. Of the four notable soon-to-be free agents, Gausman by far has the most value, especially if the Jays eat some money.
But the Blue Jays players with the most value are those who could help them in 2027 and beyond. It seems unlikely that players like Jeff Hoffman, Ernie Clement, Nathan Lukes, or Louis Varland are traded, but if they are, you’d have to imagine that they’d land the Blue Jays the largest haul.
Obviously, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is off the table in any trade talks, and Alejandro Kirk likely isn’t a candidate to be traded either. The same goes for Kazuma Okamoto and Dylan Cease.

What do the Rays need and who is a fit?

So what about what the Rays needs? Well, last week, MLB.com’s Adam Berry published an article about what the Rays’ trade deadline plans could be, noting that the Rays tend to be aggressive buyers when contending for the division, and that they have a strong farm system. In that same article, Berry named “another proven hitter” as their biggest need.
Starting with the hitters, Springer has had a tough season, slashing just .224/.308/.384 with 10 home runs in 305 plate appearances ahead of Tuesday’s game. That’s well off the pace that he hit at last season. The Rays also have an every day designated hitter in Yandy Díaz, so the fit just isn’t there.
Similarly, Varsho isn’t much of a fit for the Rays with Cedric Mullins roaming centre field. It’d be a different story if Varsho hit like he did last season, but like Springer, it’s been a tough year.
One position player who is a great fit for the Rays is Ernie Clement. It would need to take a serious haul for the Rays to get him, but he’s under team control until the conclusion of the 2028 season, hits for an average while also being among the league leaders in doubles, and usually has strong defence. With a top 10 farm system in MLB, the Rays have the capital to get it done, but it all depends on whether or not the Jays want to part with Clement.
The old adage goes that a team can never have too much pitching, and Gausman would be a solid fit for the Rays. As it stands, the Rays currently have Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen, Nick Martinez, Griffin Jax, and Ian Seymour in the rotation. The latter has only made seven starts in his 34 appearances, so adding a starter like Gausman seems like a clear fit.
You could also argue that the Rays have a need for bullpen arms, as their bullpen ERA of 4.20 ranks 17th, and their FIP of 4.50 ranks 23rd. Varland is an obvious fit, but that’d cost them an arm and a leg. Hoffman is another fit for the bullpen.
It doesn’t seem likely that the two division rivals would make a trade ahead of August 3rd’s trade deadline, but it has happened in the past.
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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