TORONTO — After 6 p.m. ET Thursday, trades will no longer be permitted, putting pressure on contending front offices to do everything they can to improve their World Series chances now.
As recently as Wednesday afternoon, some executives on buying teams were frustrated that sellers weren’t moving off their high asking prices, but by the evening, the market started moving with a trio of prominent relievers traded for big returns along with some smaller deals.
But the starting pitching market has yet to move, many more relievers remain on the board, and that’s before we even get to the position player market. A year ago, deadline day featured 32 trades, and while that number may be tough to match, it’s still reasonable to expect 20-plus trades Thursday as teams have reached that threshold each of the last four deadlines.
Back in Toronto after a 4-4 road trip, the Blue Jays have acquired Seranthony Dominguez, but there’s more work ahead for GM Ross Atkins, who will lead the push for the first playoff bye in franchise history. Of course, their AL East rivals will likely be busy, too. As the day’s action gets underway, let’s take a look at what’s ahead for the Blue Jays on deadline day:
What’s next in the relief market?
The addition of Dominguez represents a good start for the Blue Jays, who won Wednesday thanks in part to the right-hander’s clean eighth inning against his former team, the Orioles. Yet the Blue Jays continue pursuing relievers actively.
As manager John Schneider said: “If there’s ways to continue to add to (the team’s bullpen), I know we’re still talking about that, too.”
But while prospect Juaron Watts-Brown was a significant price to pay for Dominguez, the cost of some of the relievers traded Wednesday was even higher:
• The Mets acquired Tyler Rogers from the Giants for right-hander José Butto and prospects Drew Gilbert and Blade Tidwell.
• The Mets acquired Ryan Helsley from the Cardinals for prospects Jesus Baez, Nate Dohm and Frank Elissalt.
• The Phillies acquired Jhoan Duran from the Twins for prospects Mick Abel and Eduardo Tait, two of the game’s top 100 prospects according to MLB Pipeline.
With that in mind, the prices on controllable relievers like Mason Miller and David Bednar will likely be extremely high, too. But at least for rental relievers, the leverage will soon shift back toward buyers since this is the last chance for sellers to land prospects for their arms.
As for the Blue Jays, they remain motivated here. They were linked to Helsley extensively on Wednesday, and they did have interest, but others proved to be equally motivated as the Cardinals chose the Mets’ offer, described by rival executives as a strong one.
There’s still a long list of relievers available, and the team’s history under Atkins suggests at least one more bullpen move is coming. The Blue Jays have acquired multiple relievers at the deadline every time they’ve been buyers under Atkins, except for 2020, when they loaded up with three starting pitchers instead (Taijuan Walker, Robbie Ray and Ross Stripling).
As for starting pitching and bench help?
While the Blue Jays have done their diligence on some top starting pitchers and could certainly benefit from a high-end rotation addition, it’s also worth remembering that they’ve also added swing-type pitchers at past deadlines, including Ross Stripling in 2020 and Mitch White in 2022.
In theory, a similar addition could help this year, providing valuable depth without disrupting the current starting five. Pitchers like Steven Matz and Mike Soroka fit this description, but both were traded late Wednesday. Still, the likes of Jeffrey Springs and Charlie Morton are out there, and there’s value in raising a team’s floor.
Offensive help is another possibility, especially at a time when George Springer, Alejandro Kirk and Joey Loperfido are dealing with physical issues and Anthony Santander and Andres Gimenez are on the injured list. Using history as a guideline, a bench player seems like a real possibility here as Atkins has acquired one bench bat every year he’s been a buyer: Melvin Upton in 2016, Jonathan Villar in 2020, Corey Dickerson in 2021, Whit Merrifield in 2022 and Paul DeJong in 2023. In an ideal world, the Blue Jays find a way to add here again.
What will the Blue Jays’ division rivals do?
It’s been a busy summer of trades in the AL East, dating back to last month when Rafael Devers left the division and continuing through this week, when every team in the division has already made a deadline week deal. On Thursday, all five teams should be active — albeit in different ways. For a Blue Jays team with a 4.5-game lead over the Yankees and a 5.0-game lead over the Red Sox, every move will be watched closely.
As of late Wednesday, industry sources suggested the Orioles would be busy selling players but perhaps not Ramon Laureano, the 31-year-old outfielder whose contract includes a $6.5 million option for 2026 — a steal for a player who has hit 23 home runs with 3.4 WAR over the last calendar year. Meanwhile, the Rays’ recent trades of Danny Jansen and Zack Littell show they’re open to selling established players.
The Yankees are expected to continue adding after acquiring Ryan McMahon and Austin Slater, while the Red Sox may not be done adding pitching even after the Matz trade.
