What should the Toronto Blue Jays do at the trade deadline?

The trade deadline is less than two weeks away which means teams must decide if they’re going to be buyers and gear up for a postseason run or be sellers and trade their star players for prospects to try again next year. 

The Blue Jays are a team that could go either way, so it’s hard to tell if they’re going to be a buyer or seller.

But in our opinion, there is a clear choice.

First-half recap

It was a disappointing first half of the season for the Blue Jays. Toronto entered the All-Star break in last place in the AL East and 14 games out of first place. 

The Orioles and Yankees have been in a dogfight for first place in the division, while the Red Sox have come out of nowhere in the last few weeks to be just 4.5 games off the pace. 

That leaves the Rays and Blue Jays both 10+ games out of the lead. So, how did this happen to the Blue Jays? There’s one simple answer to this question: failing at the plate.

The Blue Jays began the season with George Springer, Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Justin Turner as the first four hitters in the lineup. That’s a solid core group of players, but lately, only two of those are still in the top four. 

Springer has been terrible in the first half of the season with just a .225 average and his power and speed both appear to be gone. 

Turner started the year on fire, but the veteran has cooled off considerably in the last two months. 

Guerrero Jr. had a slow start to the season but was phenomenal in the last month and finished the first half with a .288 average. 

However, the biggest disappointment so far has been Bichette. The star shortstop has mustered just a .222 average with a .596 OPS so far. 

Underperforming at the plate has been the story of the first half of the season for the Blue Jays.

Players that could be traded

If the Blue Jays decide to become sellers, they will have plenty of teams interested. That’s because they have Bichette, Guerrero Jr., and Turner on the trade block. 

While Bichette is still under contract and Guerrero Jr. will go to arbitration next season, Turner is on a one-year deal. 

It’s rumored that contract extension talks with Guerrero Jr. have not been going well and the two sides are very far apart from a deal. If they continue to not see eye-to-eye, the franchise player could be dealt for a massive price. 

As for Turner, the 39-year-old hit .231 in the first half of the season and could be a useful designated hitter for a contending team in the postseason. Of all three players who could be traded, Turner is the most likely.

Moving Bichette would be a little more tricky. He’s under contract for $17 million next year and will become an unrestricted free agent in 2026. 

If a team is willing to give up a huge haul for Bichette, they’re going to want some assurances that he will stay with them for the coming years. 

If not, the price tag for Bichette won’t be as high since he had a disappointing first half and teams will be hesitant to give up highly-regarded prospects. 

Other players that could be traded at the deadline include pitchers Yusei Kikuchi and Yimi Garcia.

Should the Blue Jays be buyers or sellers?

The trade deadline is July 30 which means there will be plenty of players moved in the next two weeks. Teams must decide if they will be buyers or sellers and the decision could shape the franchise for the next few years. 

So the question is: what should the Blue Jays do? 

According to FanGraphs, the Blue Jays are projected to finish in last place in the AL East with a 1.8% chance of making the postseason.

They’re given a 0% chance of winning the division which means they would need to earn a Wild Card spot, but they currently have the Rangers, Tigers, Rays, Astros, and Royals ahead of them and they are all trying to steal a spot from - as it stands - the Yankees, Twins, and Red Sox.

Plus, they are -20000 to miss the playoffs.

With that in mind, it’s time to sell.

The Blue Jays have passed the point of turning the season around. They’ve dug themselves into too big of a hole to get out of. 

However, the biggest problem is that they don’t have reinforcements coming from Triple-A. The Blue Jays farm system is ranked as the sixth worst in baseball, so besides struggling at the MLB level, they are low on exciting prospects. 

If the Blue Jays are smart, they will trade either Guerrero Jr. or Bichette.

The plan should be to trade one of the two and extend the other one. Build the team around the one they keep and get plenty of prospects in return for the other. That could save the franchise in the coming years.

Odds displayed within this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.