The Blue Jays’ rotation has become the clearest pressure point on the roster, and the trade deadline need is looking narrower by the day: Toronto needs a controllable starting pitcher.
That’s the heart of the issue MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand pointed to while noting that the Blue Jays, despite sitting under .500, are still in the middle of the AL Wild Card race. His case for Toronto was straightforward. The club should add a starter, and ideally one it can keep beyond this season, because Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, and Max Scherzer are all set to become free agents after the year, while Jose Berrios and Cody Ponce are still rehabbing from surgery.
Scherzer sits at the center of the problem. He’s hurt right now, and even when he was on the mound, he wasn’t giving Toronto the kind of production it needed. With his contract expiring after the season, the Blue Jays have to think about replacing him twice: once for the immediate stretch run and again for the future.
That future matters just as much. Gausman and Bieber don’t hit free agency until after the 2026 season, but their timelines only sharpen the need for a starter the Blue Jays can actually control for multiple seasons. Rental arms can be found, sure, but Toronto’s situation calls for something more durable.
There are a few names that fit that mold. The Los Angeles Angels’ Reid Detmers and Jose Soriano are both under club control through 2028, making them appealing options if Toronto wants a longer-term piece. Kansas City’s Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo are also under control for a few more seasons, and with the Royals at 35-50, they look increasingly like a team that could sell this summer.
A lower-cost possibility is San Francisco’s Adrian Houser. He has starting experience and another year of club control, though he doesn’t carry the same appeal as some of the other names on the board. Even so, he could give Toronto a cheaper multi-year right-hander if the Blue Jays decide that’s the lane they want to pursue.
For Toronto, the math is simple. The club needs to solve its starting-pitching problem now, but it also has to make sure the answer still makes sense after 2026.
In Other News...
Blue Jays Fans Are Fueling An All-Star Debate Nobody Can Ignore
Fan voting always has a way of turning the All-Star conversation into a popularity contest, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is sitting in the middle of that debate at first base in the American League. In Phase 2 of the voting, Blue Jays supporters have helped push Guerrero ahead of Ben Rice, giving Toronto a real chance to put one of its biggest names in the starting lineup.
The twist is that the numbers tell a different story, which is why this race has become such a talking point beyond Toronto. Rice has put up the stronger season by the usual measures, and if Guerrero ends up winning the spot anyway, it figures to stir up plenty of second-guessing from fans who believe the lineup should reflect performance as much as star power. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Just Sent A Brutal Message About Simeon Woods Richardson
Simeon Woods Richardsons brief run with the Blue Jays ended up looking more like a roster squeeze than a reward for recent success. After Toronto designated the right-hander for assignment, he cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Buffalo, keeping him in the organization as pitching depth for now.
It is a notable turn for a pitcher the Blue Jays just acquired from the Minnesota Twins earlier in the month, especially after he tossed 10 scoreless innings in Toronto. Even so, the club clearly decided there was enough uncertainty underneath the surface to move him off the active roster, and the fact that no other team claimed him says plenty about how the rest of the league viewed him too. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Just Reached A Point Fans Have Been Dreading
The Blue Jays have reached the point nobody around the team wanted to see, dropping six straight home games and slipping under .500 as the standings start to pull away from them. Toronto has spent much of the season fighting to stay relevant in the American League East and wild card picture, but the margin for error is shrinking fast, and the offense has not offered much help while injuries and uneven starting pitching keep piling on.
Runs have been hard to come by, especially with men in scoring position, and that has turned even winnable nights at the ballpark into frustration. With fewer than 80 games left, the pressure is not just about stopping the skid, it is about forcing the front office to decide whether this group is still close enough to justify buying at the trade deadline or whether the slide has already changed the conversation. [Read more 🡒]