It might be a very long offseason for the Toronto Blue Jays. They are still trying to get over a catastrophic loss in Game Seven of the World Series. However, if Toronto did prove one thing this year, it’s that their front office is willing to do whatever it takes to improve the roster and put the organization in a good spot to compete. We saw this in a number of ways throughout the season, which included signing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a $500 million contract and trading for Shane Bieber and Louis Varland at the trade deadline.
Toronto has some big decisions to make this offseason. It starts with the starting rotation, as both Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt are free agents. It’s unclear if Toronto wants to reach a deal with either of them, and if they don’t, looking to the trade market for a fresh and controllable arm might be a better option.
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Blue Jays Could Be Good Destination for Twins’ Joe Ryan
The Blue Jays may be a great suitor for the Minnesota Twins’ All-Star starter, Joe Ryan. Ryan garnered plenty of trade buzz back in July, but ultimately ended up being one of the only players on the Twins who survived the fire sale at the trade deadline.
Now that the offseason has rolled around, it’s time to revisit those rumors. MLBTradeRumors.com lists Joe Ryan as their No.2 trade candidate for the 2025-2026 offseason:
“One player who drew interest but stayed put was Ryan, one of the teamâs top two starters whose salary makes him a raucous bargain. The 29-year-old righty pitched to a 3.42 ERA in 171 innings last year, striking out 28.2% of opponents and logging a terrific 5.7% walk rate. A strained teres major in 2024 limited Ryan to 23 starts, but he took the ball 30 times in â25 and has averaged 154 frames per season dating back to 2022.”
The Blue Jays should be thought of as a reasonable trade destination for Joe Ryan, especially if they lose Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer. Toronto may have found its potential future ace down the stretch in Trey Yesavage, and Shane Bieber already announced he’s opting into his contract, so he will be a Blue Jay next season as well. However, after that, the rotation thins out.
Joe Ryan has two years left of team control via arbitration years, and is set to receive an extremely team-friendly $5.8 million in 2026.
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What Would Toronto Have to Give Up?
Here comes the tricky part of this trade idea. What would the Blue Jays have to give up to acquire Joe Ryan? He probably comes at a steep price, considering he wasn’t moved last year, is very controllable, and is a highly productive starter.
In this hypothetical, the Blue Jays could give up Nathan Lukes, Bowden Francis, and a top prospect to make this deal work.
Ryan was named to the All-Star team for the first time in his career this season, and he’s made 20+ starts in the last four seasons. Due to his salary and track record, Ryan should command a lot of trade interest this offseason, and the Twins should highly consider offloading him.
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