The Blue Jays don’t need a one-month fix. They need to start thinking about 2027.
That’s the real lesson from a season that has gone sideways fast. Toronto came into 2026 chasing a World Series finish after falling just short the year before, but on Jul. 1 the club was sitting at 40-45, 10 games behind first in the AL East and two and a half games out of the third wild-card spot. That’s close enough to tease, but far enough away to make the deadline decision a serious one.
The problem is obvious: the offense that was supposed to carry this team has gone missing. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer and Alejandro Kirk have all fallen short of the production that made Toronto one of baseball’s best lineups in 2025, with injuries and underperformance dragging the group down.
The numbers tell the story clearly enough - the Blue Jays are 25th in runs scored with 345, 21st in wRC+ at 95 and 23rd in OPS at .699. The pitching has been a little better, but not enough to cover for that kind of drop-off.
So the question isn’t whether Toronto can still hang around the playoff race. It’s whether it makes any sense to push chips in on a season that hasn’t earned that kind of gamble.
At the deadline, the smartest move is to deal from the pile of expiring contracts. Springer, Shane Bieber, Kevin Gausman and Daulton Varsho are all in the final year of their deals, and they should all be in play. The case for moving them is straightforward: some are aging, some are replaceable based on what they’ve done this season, and some just don’t look like obvious keepers.
Toronto already showed the blueprint for this approach at the 2024 trade deadline, when it moved its expiring pieces, including Yimi Garcia, Danny Jansen and Yusei Kikuchi. By the end of that process, the only pending free agent left was Ryan Yarbrough. That’s the kind of clean break that would make more sense again now than trying to force a half-hearted run.
This doesn’t mean the Blue Jays should slam the door on every deadline addition. It just means any player they bring in should come with at least one more year of control. Going after an expiring contract would amount to an all-in move, and that doesn’t fit where this team is right now.
There is also a bigger picture here. Some of Toronto’s best pieces are already under control beyond 2027, including Kazuma Okamoto, Dylan Cease, Nathan Lukes, Louis Varland and Tyler Rogers.
Guerrero Jr., Kirk and Jeff Hoffman are also locked in for 2027. That gives the front office room to sell off rentals now, collect a modest prospect return and open the door for other players to get real chances over the final months.
The deadline could also help set up the next wave through free agency. If the offense needs a boost, names like Randy Arozarena or even a reunion with Bo Bichette could fit that conversation.
If Toronto creates holes in the rotation by moving Gausman and Bieber, there are several ways to address them later. Freddy Peralta and Robbie Ray are among the possibilities, and Tarik Skubal would represent the big swing.
Unless the Blue Jays catch fire and rocket back near the top of the American League, the clearest path is the practical one: sell the rentals, gather what value you can and build toward a roster that makes more sense in the seasons ahead.
In Other News...
Blue Jays Suddenly Hold One Trade Deadline Edge Fans Can't Ignore
Jonatan Clase is back in the majors, and the timing is hard to miss. With George Springer on the paternity list, the Blue Jays turned to a player whose calling card is speed and defense, and who has already spent time in the big leagues while staying sharp in Triple-A Buffalo.
The move also underscores just how much outfield inventory Toronto has built up as the trade deadline approaches. With several names in the mix and roster and contract questions still in play, the Blue Jays suddenly have a little more flexibility than most clubs, and Anthony Santanders rehab path only adds another layer to watch as teams start sorting out who might be available. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Just Got A Blunt Wake Up Call About Their Core
The Phillies surge after a managerial switch has become a useful mirror for the Blue Jays, but not in the way Toronto would prefer. Philadelphia has rolled since replacing Rob Thomson with Don Mattingly, and the bigger story is how much the lineups best players have driven the turnaround. Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper and Brandon Marsh have all helped lift that club, which is the kind of star-level production Toronto has been waiting to see from its own core.
For the Blue Jays, the uncomfortable part is that the problem looks less like a dugout issue and more like a roster one. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer and Alejandro Kirk have all fallen short of expectations, and that makes the usual blame-the-manager conversation feel too easy. If Toronto is searching for a fix, the evidence points toward its stars rediscovering themselves rather than expecting a new voice to solve everything. [Read more 🡒]