Blue Jays’ GM Discusses Approaching Trade Deadline

The Toronto Blue Jays are currently in a tough spot, sitting six games below .500 and at the bottom of the AL East with a 37-43 record. Despite their past successes, winning between 89 and 92 games in each of the past three seasons and getting to the postseason in three of the last four years, the Jays are not where they expected to be at the season’s halfway point.

They are not eager to sell, but they are running low on time to play their way back into the playoff mix. The team’s focus is on the 2024 season, but they are also considering future moves if needed.

General Manager Ross Atkins acknowledged the team’s precarious position, stating that they have put themselves into a tough spot over the last seven days.

The coming days are exceptionally important to the team, and understanding the market is also exceptionally important in either way. The team’s focus is on winning and building the best possible team they can this year and supporting them the best they can. If they get to a point where they need to adjust, they will be prepared to do so.

The Jays are not unique in their position, as there are only five or six clear-cut seller teams at this point. However, there are not many more who can feel secure about their chances of getting to the postseason.

Upwards of half the teams in the league could decide their deadline direction based on how they perform in July. Various clubs could also try to straddle the line by offloading some veterans while looking for immediate help in other areas of the roster.

The Jays have potentially impactful trade candidates with varying levels of club control. The team has more established roster than most of those fringe teams. The team has a handful of players who are in or at the back end of their primes, and they have got dwindling control windows on franchise faces Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, each of whom are slated for free agency after the 2025 campaign.

There’s an argument for moving key players who are under control beyond this season if the Jays can’t claw back into contention over the next few weeks. Atkins has bluntly shot down the notion of trading either star hitter earlier this month. That presumably won’t stop teams from calling to gauge whether the Jays are willing to reconsider.

Bichette himself told Hazel Mae that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Jays moved him, though that’d presumably change if the team plays its way back into contention.

The Jays have a handful of controllable players who could generate calls, particularly on the pitching side. Jordan Romano has spent the past month on the injured list with elbow inflammation. He’s a two-time All-Star closer who is under arbitration control through next season.

Chris Bassitt is making $22MM this season and next. He turned in a 3.60 ERA over 33 starts a year ago and has worked to a 3.45 mark with decent strikeout and walk numbers over 91 1/3 innings. Trading Kevin Gausman, who is under contract through 2026, still seems unlikely unless the front office kicks off a more significant reboot.

If the Jays perform the way they’re hoping over the next month, adding to the bullpen and deepening the lineup would be the likely priorities. The Romano and García injuries — paired with Erik Swanson’s struggles — have contributed to the Jays running out one of the least consistent relief groups in the majors.

The bottom half of the lineup hasn’t performed up to expectations either. That’s largely due to underperformance from the likes of Bichette, Turner, Kiermaier, and George Springer. The Jays also entered the season with questions at second and third base.

They’ve plugged rookie Spencer Horwitz into regular action at the keystone while free agent signee Isiah Kiner-Falefa (who has somewhat quietly impressed with a .283/.333/.402 showing) has gotten the bulk of the third base reps.