The Toronto Blue Jays are shaping up to be sellers with the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline closing in, and three names keep rising to the top of the board: Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber and Daulton Varsho.
All three are pending free agents, which makes them natural rental targets for contenders looking to patch holes before the Aug. 3 deadline. And while there should be no shortage of interest, the most likely landing spots point in three different directions.
Kevin Gausman to the Atlanta Braves feels like the cleanest fit. Atlanta needs help in the rotation, and Gausman would give them a stabilizing arm in the middle of it.
Chris Sale has been carrying the top of the staff with another Cy Young caliber season, but behind him the picture gets shakier with Grant Holmes, Bryce Elder, Reynaldo López and Matin Pérez all producing mixed results. Gausman would also be walking into familiar territory after pitching for the Braves in 2018 and 2019.
Shane Bieber to the Chicago Cubs makes plenty of sense too. The Cubs need to reinforce their rotation before the playoffs, especially with pitchers battling injury issues throughout the season.
Shota Imanaga has been their best starter, while Matthew Boyd has been solid when healthy enough to take the mound. Bieber could fit into the lower half of that rotation and give Chicago a real boost, especially with the way he’s been throwing lately.
Over his last three starts, he has given up just three runs on 12 hits across 17.2 innings, with 13 strikeouts, a .224 BABIP and a 3.22 FIP.
Daulton Varsho landing with the Philadelphia Phillies would address another obvious need. Philadelphia is looking for outfield help as it gears up for the postseason, and Varsho could be the kind of addition that gives the lineup another gear.
His 2026 season has been down for Toronto, but the upside is still easy to see. Just last year, the seven-year veteran hit 20 home runs in only 71 games for the Blue Jays, and that kind of pop would fit well on a Phillies team trying to win it all.
Of course, none of this is locked in. Toronto could also decide to keep one or more of these players and work on extensions before they reach free agency.
That would make particular sense with the rotation still carrying question marks heading into next season. But if the market heats up and the Blue Jays decide the return is worth it, these are the names most likely to move.
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