How the Toronto Blue Jays fare over the next two weeks will be the ultimate decider in what direction Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro go before the August 3rd trade deadline.
The hope remains that the Blue Jays, who are 2.5 games back of the final Wild Card spot in the American League, will turn things around and become buyers in hopes of pushing for the postseason.
If, however, that doesn’t come to fruition, Toronto may have no choice but to sell, and according to MLB insider Jim Bowden, Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, and Daulton Varsho would be the most notable names who could be on the move.
“The Blue Jays could become sellers if they fall further out of the race right after the break. They have several older veteran players who could become available, led by starters Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber, and Gold Glove center fielder Daulton Varsho,”
Gausman, 35, Bieber, 31, and Varsho, 30, are all pending UFAs playing on the final years of their respective contracts, making them obvious trade candidates should the Blue Jays become sellers.
While losing any of those three would undoubtedly hurt both on and off the field, you could make a case that Toronto will still be just fine and capable of continuing to compete for a Wild Card spot without them.
It’s been a much more inconsistent season for Gausman than we’re used to seeing, while Bieber has struggled since returning from injury and Varsho has dealt with his usual ups and downs, along with injury issues.
In an ideal world, the Blue Jays would keep all three and add more help around them. That is still very possible, but they’ll first need to show the front office they’re deserving of that with improved results throughout the rest of July.
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