2 trades the Blue Jays could make to ease the sting of not signing Tucker or Bichette

It may take a little while for the Toronto Blue Jays and their fans to recover a bit after failing to land Kyle Tucker and bringing back Bo Bichette. After all, many believed that the Blue Jays could have capped off their impressive offseason with one more big splash. Adding Tucker or reuniting with Bichette would have added a difference maker back into the Toronto lineup heading into 2026, making them clear World Series favorites as a result.

Nevertheless, as much as it hurts that both deals didn’t come to fruition with the Blue Jays, Toronto could still ease the sting by engaging in a huge trade that could put them over the top once again.

2 trades the Blue Jays could make to ease the sting of not signing Tucker or Bichette

The Blue Jays should trade for San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller

Without question Mason Miller has been one of the top closers in the entire MLB for the past couple of seasons. Equipped with a four-seam fastball that could hit triple digits along with a nasty slider, Miller has the capability to blow away hitters at will. It’s no wonder why he had been ranked in the 100th percentile in the league in xBA, fastball velocity, whiff rate and strikeout rate in each of the past two years.

On top of that, with a career 2.81 ERA, 0.96 WHIP with 246 strikeouts in 160 innings over three MLB seasons to date, Miller has all the makings to be the next Trevor Hoffman or Mariano Rivera, but with much more overpowering strikeout numbers.

He would instantly give the Blue Jays their best closing option since the Tom Henke and Duane Ward era, with the potential to become the best in franchise history. In addition, it would give Toronto the lockdown reliever that they desperately needed after blowing 23 total saves in each of their past two seasons.

Especially with the shakiness that Jeff Hoffman presented for much of last season before eventually working things out, Miller would put away those worries for good each time out. Most significantly, the addition of Miller would definitely move the needle substantially enough such that the Blue Jays overall pitching staff, from top to bottom and from beginning to end, would become one of the best in the entire league. 

The Blue Jays should trade for Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal

What better way to wipe away all of the disappointment in missing out on the top free agents in the market by replacing them with arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball in Tarik Skubal. With the Detroit Tigers unlikely to retain the two-time All-Star if his contract demands continue to go through the roof, Skubal becomes a prime trade target throughout this upcoming season.

After all, Skubal has proven to be one of the best in the business, winning back-to-back Cy Young Awards while leading the American League in ERA for two consecutive seasons. On top of that, he was the MLB strikeout leader in 2024 with 228 and WHIP leader in 2025 at 0.89. More significantly, Skubal is only 29 years old so the best could be yet to come.

By adding the star left-hander, he would represent the best starting pitcher that the Blue Jays have had since Roy Halladay. Yes, it would likely require a huge prospect capital loss that would include Trey Yesavage and others. But to potentially have the best pitcher in all of baseball to lead the way, the Blue Jays chances of winning the World Series would suddenly increase multi-fold.

Most importantly, it had been rumored that Skubal will be projected to land the biggest contract handed out to a pitcher in MLB history in his next deal. If the Blue Jays use the money that they were going to give Tucker to hand to Skubal instead as part of his extension after trading for him, they could be set as perennial World Series contenders for years to come.

And with that, Blue Jays fans should be left with “Tucker who?” and “Bo who?”