BALTIMORE—Give credit where credit is due, embattled Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins orchestrated multiple deals prior to Tuesday’s deadline that will improve one of Major League Baseball’s weakest farm systems.
Atkins exceeded expectations by securing an impressive haul for Yusei Kikuchi. He picked up a promising power hitter for Isiah Kiner-Falefa and added a speedy outfielder for Yimi Garcia. Other deals involved acquiring lottery-ticket prospects for players on expiring contracts.
In less than a week, the Jays completed eight trades to acquire 13 prospects and veteran lefty Ryan Yarbrough. A few of those recruits will be factors down the stretch for a team that doesn’t have anything to play for in the second half. The value of others won’t be known for quite some time as they develop in the minors.
The Jays might not have won every trade but they did well in their midsummer sale. There should be no disputing that, but it’s possible to acknowledge that success while also questioning whether the cuts to a flawed roster went deep enough. After all, this was a seller’s market and the Jays had more assets that could have been auctioned off.
Atkins chose another path. With not enough arms to go around for contending teams, he resisted the urge to shop starter Chris Bassitt and reliever Chad Green, both of whom will be eligible for free agency after 2025. He also hung onto Kevin Gausman, who is under contract through 2026 because of a desire to get back to the playoffs next season.
Interest in Isiah Kiner-Falefa from several clubs led to an unexpected swap with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Interest in Isiah Kiner-Falefa from several clubs led to an unexpected swap with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
“They’re a part of our solution,” Atkins said when asked about keeping Bassitt and other veterans under contract beyond this year. “We are focused on winning, competing and contending moving forward in 2025-26 and they are a key part of that.”
Based on the prices at this year’s deadline, the Jays should have been able to secure a large haul for the veteran duo. For Kikuchi they received a future starter in Jake Bloss, an intriguing bat in Joey Loperfido and a close-to-ready infield prospect in Will Wagner. Trading Garcia secured the services of outfielder Jonatan Clase, who has an intriguing mix of speed and power.
High prices were the standard at this year’s deadline. The Padres gave up three of their top five prospects to acquire Marlins closer Tanner Scott. The Phillies parted ways with a pair of highly-touted minor-league pitchers to get Angels closer Carlos Estevez.
The Tigers managed to add top prospect Thayron Liranzo even though outgoing pitcher Jack Flaherty had been dealing with back issues for the last month. The Orioles gave up a lot of get Zach Eflin and Trevor Rogers. Almost every buyer was forced to overpay.
It makes you wonder what the Jays could have got for Bassitt and Green if they had been less focused on next year. Even if the $32.5 million (U.S.) combined the two pitchers will earn in 2025 scared some teams away, the Jays could have included cash considerations to improve the return, just like they did with Kiner-Falefa.
Apparently that was never an option because the Jays believe they can contend next year despite needing to plug holes in left field, third base, catcher and designated hitter while also requiring at least one new starter and several arms for the bullpen.
“For one, starting pitching,” manager John Schneider said when asked why he believed the Jays could quickly turn things around. “We still have three really proven veteran guys in Kevin (Gausman), Chris (Bassitt) and José (BerrÃos), Yariel (Rodriguez) hopefully coming into that spot too.
“You have Bo (Bichette), Vlad (Guerrero), George (Springer), (Daulton) Varsho, (Alejandro) Kirk, Joey Loperfido now. I think the return we got in some of these trades, these guys are closer than we had before the deadline. I think that makes you feel pretty comfortable and every off-season is a chance to add more players to an already good group.”
Jansen started with the Jays franchise as a skinny 17-year-old; it is the only organization he has played for.
Jansen started with the Jays franchise as a skinny 17-year-old; it is the only organization he has played for.
The risk in taking this approach is that the Jays might fail to make enough upgrades to rival the Orioles and Yankees. If that happens, they could look to deal Bassitt and Green next summer to recoup value and avoid losing them for nothing at the end of the season.
The issue is that it’s impossible to predict how much they’ll be worth a year from now. While the expanded playoffs means just about every deadline will be a seller’s market, Bassitt’s and Green’s situations might be entirely different by then.
All it will take for either guy to lose value is to get hurt or struggle in the first half. Instead of acquiring multiple high-end prospects this year, the Jays would be left with nothing because of the front office’s refusal to turn the page.
Atkins did well to secure large returns in his deals. Still, from this vantage point, it seems obvious that he didn’t go far enough. So even though this was a successful deadline for the noncontenders, it’s also one that could go down a missed opportunity.
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation