The Toronto Blue Jays have overtaken the American League over the last month and a half. After winning 10 games in a row, they captured a lead in the AL East, and as of now, hold a three-game lead over the New York Yankees.
With just over 10 days before the Major League Baseball trade deadline, it presents an excellent chance for the Blue Jays to improve their roster with necessary improvements. Toronto plans to be aggressive at the deadline â a necessary move if the club wants to be an AL contender.
As for the Pittsburgh Pirates, they are expected to be sellers after not contending in the National League standings once again. They are an interesting team because they have pitching assets that any contending team should want.
Massive Trade Idea Sends Mitch Keller North of the Border
In a trade idea that would be massive for the Toronto Blue Jays, they land the Pirates’ Mitch Keller. Keller is rumored to be the subject of trade talk, and as almost every team needs starting pitching at this time of year, Keller would be a great pickup. Keller was an All-Star in 2023 and is also putting together a nice 2025 campaign. He has a 3.48 ERA in 119 innings over 20 starts this seasonâthe type of guy who can take the ball every fifth day and provide a quality outing.
MLB.com predicts that the Blue Jays will be aggressive at the deadline later this month:
“If not now, then when? The AL is wide open and the Blue Jays will have every opportunity to win the division, which is a conversation we havenât had in Toronto in nearly a decade. This lineup is deep, stretching down into Triple-A, so the Blue Jaysâ donât just need to add big leaguers, they need to add star power. Even in the rotation, while some more depth would help, the Blue Jays need to be thinking like World Series contenders here. If theyâre looking at a starter at the Trade Deadline, could that pitcher realistically start in the first three games of the ALDS? If not, aim higher,” wrote Keegan Matheson.
Keller has a few years of team control, making any potential deal fairly costly.
What Would a Blue Jays Deal for Mitch Keller Look Like?
The Toronto Blue Jays have a solid front of the rotation as is, with Kevin Gausman and Chris Bassitt. Still, they could certainly be a team that adds another starter or two at the deadline in preparation for the final two months of the regular season. They also think of October baseball; deep rotation is imperative for success.
In this potential deal, the Blue Jays trade away Tyler Heineman and third-ranked prospect Orelvis Martinez. Martinez is on the cusp of being MLB-ready, and the Pirates desperately need players who can develop as hitters.
For the Blue Jays, expect them to make a big splash for a depth starter before the July 31st deadline.
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