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Why the Blue Jays should be sellers at the 2026 trade deadline
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Photo credit: © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Ben Wrixon
Jul 7, 2026, 17:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 7, 2026, 13:07 EDT
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With each game that passes, it’s becoming exceedingly clear that the 2026 Toronto Blue Jays are a sinking ship. 
Injuries, poor performance, and some bad luck have all contributed to a season that appears to be going south in a hurry. Whatever magic propelled the organization to the World Series last year has completely faded away. 
The 2026 trade deadline is just weeks away on August 3rd, and the Blue Jays’ front office should be gearing up to hold a fire sale—anything else would be irresponsible. 
Monday’s 10-1 shellacking at the hands of the lowly San Francisco Giants was further proof that this Blue Jays team simply isn’t very good at any facet of the game. They scored one run on three hits while committing three costly errors on defence. 
The offence continues to be the biggest letdown for this team. They entered Tuesday having scored just 357 runs, tied with the Boston Red Sox for second-fewest in all of baseball. Their .685 OPS as a team is the fourth-worst in MLB.
The lineup is devoid of both power and speed. The Blue Jays entered Tuesday having hit just 89 home runs—20 of which have come from Kazuma Okamoto—while having stolen the fifth-fewest bases. That, coupled with an inability to hit with runners in scoring position, is a recipe for not scoring runs. 
Several of Toronto’s key names simply haven’t performed as expected. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was named an All-Star starter through the fan vote, yet remains on pace for single-digit home runs. George Springer has been the 2024 version of himself. Alejandro Kirk has struggled when healthy. Addison Barger has barely played due to injury. 
Beyond the offence, however, many Blue Jays pitchers have also struggled. 
Kevin Gausman was tagged for seven runs on Monday night, although only four of them were earned. He has been lit up on several occasions since the beginning of June, and his 4.32 ERA would stand as his worst as a Blue Jay if the season ended today.
Shane Bieber, meanwhile, has been an absolute shell of himself in three starts since returning from the injured list. He’s given up 20 hits—six of which were home runs—and walked seven batters in just 14 innings thus far. It’s no wonder he opted into his player option for this season so quickly. 
All this, plus some consistently bad defence and the occasional bullpen meltdown, amounts to a team that should be looking to sell off at the trade deadline. But who do the Blue Jays even have to move? 
Both Gausman and Bieber are trade candidates on expiring contracts. The former would likely be highly sought after given his postseason track record, while the latter could attract some suitors if he looks more like himself over the next few weeks. 
On the position player side, Springer and Daulton Varsho are slated for free agency and could be desirable rentals. A would-be playoff contender could do a whole lot worse than having a playoff legend like Springer coming off the bench late in games. 
The Blue Jays’ front office shouldn’t stop at shopping those players, though, as they have controllable pieces that other teams might want. Is Jeff Hoffman pitching well enough that a team would consider taking on his contract? Could Jesús Sánchez get moved for a right-handed bat to balance the lineup? 
Everything has to be on the table. The Blue Jays are not far from being out of it because the American League is so weak, but the quality of their play tells the story. This team is more than an addition or two away from being a contender. The writing is on the wall. 

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