Blue Jays trade deadline preview: Team needs, potential targets, prospects to watch and more

It’s tough to know exactly what to make of the Toronto Blue Jays as we near the 2023 MLB trade deadline. On the one hand, a recent surge on either side of the All-Star break has them up to 54-44, just five games back in the loss column of the division-leading Baltimore Orioles. On the other, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees are breathing down their necks for the third and final AL Wild Card spot. This is, on paper, among the most talented rosters in all of baseball, but things have yet to really click so far this season — making them a hard team to read as the second half gets cooking.

One thing’s for sure, though, and that’s that GM Ross Atkins will be looking to fortify things prior to August 1. What positions might he target, and what might a potential deal look like? Let’s break it all down.

Blue Jays trade deadline preview

Needs

It’s tough to find too many glaring weaknesses here. The Jays offense has underachieved a bit so far this year, ranking just (“just”) 10th in team OPS, but they’ve perked up a bit of late — and it’s hard to find any holes that might need to be filled. Brandon Belt and Kevin Kiermaier give Toronto the left-handed look they’ve needed for years, and while Daulton Varsho has struggled in his first season up north, his defensive versatility and upside mean he’ll remain an everyday player. The bullpen has been among baseball’s best, and Toronto also sits seventh in rotation ERA.

The pitching staff, however, does have some lingering questions. Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios and Chris Bassitt are a very solid top three, but how much do you trust what comes after that? What do we make of Alek Manoah, who threw up another clunker against the San Diego Padres last week? Are Yusei Kikuchi (much improved this season but still a bit inconsistent) and Hyun-Jin Ryu (returnint from Tommy John surgery) options you can rely on? In the postseason, a great big three is probably all you need. To survive the AL pennant race, however, another starter could do wonders for this team.

Potential Targets

Lucas Giolito, SP, Chicago White Sox

This feels like among the best fits for Giolito, as the pending free agent will almost certainly get traded with the White Sox looking like definite sellers. The righty has yet to recapture the ace form he flashed a couple of years ago, but he’s enjoyed a nice bounce-back season, with a 3.96 ERA and 9.6 K/9. He’s among the sturdiest arms on the market, and he’s been a consistently good starter for four of the last five years now. Oh, and did we mention the SoCal product grew up rooting for the Dodgers?

Jordan Montgomery, SP, St. Louis Cardinals

The Jays could use another lefty look in their rotation, and the former Yankee Montgomery is intimately familiar with what it takes to survive in the AL East. With the 30-year-old set to hit free agency this winter, the Cardinals figure to be moving on as they look to retool their rotation for 2024 and beyond. Montgomery’s been a very underrated pitcher for pretty much his entire career, posting a 139 OPS+ this year with St. Louis and a 114 mark in eight years as a big leaguer.

Marcus Stroman, Toronto Blue Jays

How about a reunion? The Cubs look more like sellers with each second-half loss, and Stroman would be both an effective and a very popular deadline addition for the Jays, the team that originally drafted him way back in 2012. The righty has pitched to a 131 ERA+ since 2021, and his sinker-heavy approach would work wonders with the Jays’ improved infield defense.

Trade chips

Toronto doesn’t have an elite farm system, but there are some intriguing names that come with upside which could intrigue prospective sellers. Lefty Ricky Tiedemann is at the top of that list, with a 16.3 K/9 at Double-A this year. Triple-A righty Yosver Zulueta got to show off his premium velocity in the Futures Game this year, while 2022 first-rounder Brandon Barriera has a very high ceiling as a hard thrower from the left side if it all comes together. Infielders Addison Barger (who tore up Double-A with a .313/.384/.528 slash line last year but has battled injuries in 2023) and Orelvis Martinez (.812 OPS between Double-A and Triple-A) could also be in demand.