The words “Trade Deadline” and “Toronto Blue Jays” find themselves parallel in many conversations this summer, and not for reasons we had hoped. Sports channels and platforms across the nation are convinced that the Blue Jays will be dealing away pieces of their roster and looking to the future as the July 30 deadline approaches.

The ideology of this only makes sense as the team continues to struggle. They sit rock bottom of the American League East and they are six teams below the third wild card spot with 8.5 games to make up in the latter part of the season. Although there still may be time to gain ground in the wild card run, the team will consider the value factor of players that are coming up for expiration.

Toronto recently placed outfielder Kevin Kiermaier on revocable waivers, which marks the start of this unloading process. As we know, teams in the market may be focused on the big names on our roster such as Vladimir Guerrero Jr and Bo Bichette. Where else are we rich with trade chips? Pitching! There are two arms on the roster who could be moved in the coming weeks.

Chris Bassitt may be the first pitcher you see on a news ticker for a trade deal. Bassitt signed with Toronto ahead of the 2023 season for a three-year deal at $65M. He’s set to be a free agent after the 2025 season.

A rubber arm such as Bassitt is unique these days and extremely valuable in this current market. Toronto added the right-hander to the rotation as a part of what was said to be one of the strongest rotations in the league. In his first year with the Jays, he led the league in wins with 16 and he continued to be competitive on the mound.

With one year left on his contract and the team creeping towards a rebuild, Toronto could receive a top return for him. Various teams would seek the type of arm and pitch profile that Bassitt possesses.  The Hound currently sits 8-7 with a 3.52 ERA and 107 and ⅓ innings pitched. His profile would fit the big-game pitcher need for any World Series contender and definitely would be a great addition to a rotation looking to go deep into October.

The other Toronto pitcher is a project that has done extreme wonders for himself and for the Blue Jays. Left-handed pitcher Yusei Kikuchi is one of the most spoken-about arms in the league and could be a high-end trade piece that guarantees a quality return.

Kikuchi practically reinvented himself and refined all pitchable skills and offerings. Effective is the mild description of what he’s enhanced himself to be. His pitch effectiveness, pitch options, and velocity are all things that have advanced and paid off.

His 4-8 record this season with a 4.00 ERA is not a fair reflection of Kikuchi. We can blame the lack of offence and production for that. He’s given quality innings and kept his outings competitive on the mound side. Kikuchi has pitched 101 and ⅓ innings with 111 strikeouts and only 23 walks out of 426 batters faced.

The southpaw is a free agent at the end of the season and he would be a beneficial insertion to any starting rotation in the league. The Yankees may be considering strengthening their rotation’s back-end and shopping for arms. The Orioles are in the same predicament.

National League teams may be the ones that are more interested in the arms Toronto are willing to deal. The Phillies, Diamondbacks, and Braves may be all buyers who will consider assistance on the bump.