The Toronto Blue Jays didn’t plan to spend the final day of June at 40-45, but that’s where they are, and July could decide everything. A strong stretch could still steer them back toward buyer territory, which is still the preferred lane. If the skid continues, though, a softer sell may be the most realistic option.
That kind of move would not mean blowing the roster apart. It would point more toward dealing expiring contracts or older veterans while trying to bring back players closer to the majors. Kevin Gausman, George Springer, Daulton Varsho, Shane Bieber, Jeff Hoffman and Nathan Lukes are among the names that could attract attention, with the first four set to hit free agency after the season.
If Toronto goes down that road, the best trade partners may be the Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago White Sox. Each club has a need that lines up with Blue Jays pieces, and each has two prospects that could make sense for Toronto to chase.
Philadelphia has been rolling since a managerial change that brought former Blue Jays coach Don Mattingly in for Canadian Rob Thomson. Since Apr. 28, the Phillies are 38-19 and sit three games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.
Pitching is the area to watch there. Philadelphia starters have a 4.20 ERA, which ranks 13th in MLB, and Andrew Painter has struggled badly lately.
That could put Gausman or Bieber on the Phillies’ radar, although Toronto would likely need both pitchers to show enough before the deadline. Gausman is coming off a rough June, and Bieber still has to prove he’s fully recovered.
If the Phillies come calling, the Blue Jays should ask about Gage Wood or Aroon Escobar. Wood is Philadelphia’s No. 2 prospect and MLB’s No. 55 overall prospect, so he may not be easy to pry away. The former first-round pick skipped High-A this year and has handled Double-A Reading well enough.
Since the move up, Wood has a 3.92 ERA in 20.2 innings with 29 strikeouts. His arsenal includes a fastball that reaches 98 mph, a curveball in the 82-85 mph range and a developing slider in the upper 80s.
Escobar would fit Toronto’s offensive style nicely. The 21-year-old second baseman is hitting .231/.331/.331 with six homers, 41 RBIs, 19 steals and 39 walks in 74 games. His patience, low chase rate and willingness to run all match the traits the Blue Jays tend to value.
Milwaukee is another club that could line up with Toronto. The Brewers lead the NL Central and have been one of baseball’s better contact teams, hitting .253/.337/.395 as a group. The issue is power, or more accurately, the lack of it.
That makes Varsho an interesting name in a potential deal. Toronto doesn’t have much pop to give up, but Varsho’s bat showed enough last season that Milwaukee might be tempted, especially with only Jackson Chourio currently out-homering him among Brewers outfielders.
The two Milwaukee prospects to watch are Josh Adamczewski and Jett Williams.
Adamczewski, a 21-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder, has been raking between High-A Wisconsin and Double-A Biloxi. He’s batting .340/.458/.557 with nine homers, 44 walks and 11 stolen bases. The Brewers drafted him in the 15th round in 2023, and he has kept climbing.
Williams brings a different look. Milwaukee’s No. 5 prospect and MLB’s No. 84 overall prospect, the 22-year-old former Mets first-rounder has had contact issues at Triple-A, but he still owns a .715 OPS with nine homers and 44 walks in 73 games. His ability to move around the diamond and handle the outfield would fit a Blue Jays team that values versatility.
Milwaukee also has SS Jesús Made, INF Luis Peña, SS Cooper Pratt and OF Luis Lara among its top four prospects, so the Brewers could part with either Adamczewski or Williams without much trouble.
Chicago’s White Sox have been one of the season’s biggest surprises, sitting atop the AL Central at 44-39. Their bullpen stands out as the obvious weakness, which makes Hoffman a natural fit, though other Toronto arms could also interest them.
If the Blue Jays want a top-10 prospect from Chicago, one reliever probably won’t be enough. Still, two names stand out as targets: left-hander Hagen Smith and right-hander Tanner McDougal. They are the White Sox’s No. 4 and No. 6 prospects.
Smith, a 6-foot-3, 22-year-old former first-round pick in 2024, has not developed exactly the way Chicago hoped. He’s currently recovering from a shoulder impingement, but he spent the year in Triple-A Charlotte. In 14 starts before the injury, he posted a 4.67 ERA, though his 77 strikeouts and .200 opponent average in 52 innings were eye-catching.
McDougal can reach 101 mph, which always gets attention. He’s also in Triple-A for the first time this season and has a 3.00 ERA, a 10.13 K/9 rate, a .192 BABIP against and a 1.04 WHIP.
He could end up as either a mid-rotation starter or a high-leverage reliever. The caution flag is health, since he’s ramping up from a forearm injury.
Toronto doesn’t have to rush into anything. But if July knocks the Blue Jays out of the race, these six prospects should be on the board. A soft sell only works if the front office can turn short-term pieces into players who fit the next competitive core, and that could be as soon as next year.
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