The Blue Jays’ deadline approach may end up shaping something bigger than the rest of this season: how quickly top draft pick Cole Carlon reaches Toronto.
That idea starts with what happened last September, when the club made the unusual move to bring up Trey Yesavage in 2025. Toronto saw a real opening, decided to push in, and handed a 22-year-old pitcher - drafted only a year and change earlier - a spot in a playoff-caliber rotation.
It was a bold call, and it worked. The Blue Jays made it all the way to the World Series for the first time in three decades.
They may not be in that exact position again in 2026, but the organization could still face a similar decision with Carlon. The left-hander was selected No. 39 overall in the draft that just wrapped up a few weeks ago, and some evaluators already think he could be in the majors before this season is over.
MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo said, "He will be developed as a starter, there's no doubt in my mind, but I expect the Blue Jays to be able to hit the reset. This, after all, was a team that was inches away from winning the World Series last year.
His 70-grade slider may be the best slider in the entire class. It's an 87-88 mph short, hard, cutter-like slider.
He throws it a lot. He can manipulate it.
Let's say he's in Double-A in the second half of the year. They can shorten him up, and that slider alone will get big league hitters out out of the bullpen."
That leaves Toronto with two clear paths. If the Blue Jays climb back into the race, they could use another lefty in the bullpen.
Right now, Mason Fluharty is the only one they’ve trusted all season. Patrick Corbin and Brendon Little are also in the relief mix, but the question is whether either is the kind of arm you want in high-leverage moments.
That opens the door for a 21-year-old, six-foot-five Carlon to get a look in that role.
The other route comes if Toronto does what many expect and sells at the deadline. A move like that could include starters such as Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber, which would create innings that still need to be filled. Carlon just showed he can handle a starter’s workload at Arizona State, where he made 16 starts and posted a 3.87 ERA with 133 strikeouts in 83.2 innings and a 1.19 WHIP.
There’s also the matter of how the Blue Jays’ rotation could look beyond this year. Right now, only Dylan Cease and Trey Yesavage are locked into starting jobs for Opening Day 2027, which makes any chance to get Carlon on the mound in low-pressure big league games feel a lot like an early spring training audition.
And even if Carlon forces his way into the picture, Toronto probably won’t stop shopping for pitching. That’s a given.
But the bigger need this year has been offense, and that’s where Carlon’s development could matter most. If he helps trim the pitching to-do list, the Blue Jays can put more of their offseason energy into the bats they need to bring some life to the lineup.
In Other News...
Blue Jays Fans Are Saying Goodbye To A Rogers Centre Tradition
For 17 seasons, fans arriving at Rogers Centre could count on hearing Tessi Perrier, better known as Saxy Sady, setting the tone outside the ballpark on Blue Jays home dates. Her saxophone became part of the game-day scene in Toronto, a familiar pregame soundtrack for supporters who made the trip downtown and a small but steady piece of the clubs identity around the stadium.
Perrier has now stepped away from that role after a final performance following a Blue Jays win, closing the book on a run that stretched across generations of home games. Her retirement comes not long after another longtime gameday fixture, Rockin' Rick Donaldson, also moved on, leaving a noticeable gap in the unofficial cast that has long helped give Blue Jays nights around the Rogers Centre their own character. [Read more 🡒]
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The shirt-waving did not stay tucked into one corner of the stadium, either, as it spread across the park and gave the place a full-throated, almost chaotic look from the Toronto side of things. St. Louis has already leaned into the trend with a dedicated high-energy section at Busch Stadium, and Fenways latest burst of it is another reminder that the Blue Jays can run into a road environment where the crowd is as much a storyline as the baseball. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Give Buck Martinez The Honor He Deserves
Buck Martinez is getting another fitting chapter in a Blue Jays story that already spans generations. The club will induct him into its newly renamed Hall of Excellence next August, and the honor comes with a special bobblehead that nods to the many ways he has shaped the franchise, from behind the plate to the dugout to the broadcast booth. After retiring in February following Torontos 2025 World Series run, Martinez will join a select group as the 12th member of the Hall.
For Blue Jays fans, the tribute feels especially right because Martinez has never been just one thing to this organization. He was a player, a manager and, for years, one of the most familiar voices around the team, which is why the club chose to capture all of those eras in one keepsake. The celebration will add another layer to a career already woven deeply into the franchises identity, even as the full scope of the days recognition is still to come. [Read more 🡒]