Speaking to media at Rogers Centre, Ross Atkins says starting pitching is likely atop Blue Jays’ wish list at the trade deadline. Atkins says he likes Jays’ current group but has interest in more because you can never have enough starters.
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Ross Atkins, General Manager of the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Toronto Blue Jays were just one out away from winning the World Series in 2025, but with some upgrades this past winter, many believed they could get back to the Fall Classic in 2026.
However, due to their constant injury problems, which still haven’t quite been fixed, they’ve struggled early in the season, but on the back of five wins in their past six games, they’re now officially back at .500 with a 39-39 record. While the team may be too far back in the American League East to chase down top spot, they’re in a prime position to make a Wild Card run this season, and with the trade deadline looming, they have the opportunity to make some major additions.
GettyToronto Blue Jays Manager John Schneider.
Currently, the Blue Jays pitching staff ranks 15th in Major League Baseball with a 4.10 ERA while their lineup ranks 24th in the league in runs, meaning there’s some big upgrades they are looking to make ahead of the trade deadline.
However, in a recent interview, General Manager Ross Atkins has addressed potential moves the team could make, naming starting pitching as the Blue Jays biggest priority.
Speaking to media at Rogers Centre, Ross Atkins says starting pitching is likely atop Blue Jays’ wish list at the trade deadline. Atkins says he likes Jays’ current group but has interest in more because you can never have enough starters.
For much of the season, the Blue Jays have been running a four, and even three man rotation, but with the return of Shane Bieber, the team are back to five: Bieber, Trey Yesavage, Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease and Patrick Corbin. With Max Scherzer waiting in the wings, there’s a chance this team will have to make a big decision, but with the trio of Yesavage, Gausman and Cease leading the way, another high end starter could help this team get back to the World Series.
Obviously, the biggest piece available at the deadline is Detroit’s Tarik Skubal, but given that he would likely cost Toronto JoJo Parker and potentially Yesavage for a rental with no guarantee of a long-term extension, that’s a risk they may not want to take at this point in time.
Beyond that, there’s Joe Ryan, Reid Detmers, Jose Soriano, Sandy Alcantara and Freddy Peralta among others available, and given that the Blue Jays have some very solid prospects beyond their No. 1 Parker that they could offer these teams, they’re much more in the Jays price range. This of course doesn’t mean that the team are going to ignore the issues in their lineup, as they have a surplus of outfielders with the pending return of Addison Barger, with the team potentially set to use one or two of them to get a major upgrade.
Ultimately, it makes sense that Toronto don’t want to sit back and let this season pass them by after the success of 2025, and while they may not end up making the biggest swing of all for Skubal, if they can upgrade the rotation and pick up another piece in their lineup, this team could easily return to the Fall Classic in 2026.
Nathan Smith Nathan Smith is a writer with Heavy Sports covering the NHL and MLB. He brings a decade of experience covering sports in North America for digital platforms such as PFSN, Athlon Sports and FanSided. More about Nathan Smith
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