3 Blue Jays players who could be dealt at the trade deadline 

The Toronto Blue Jays have put up some mixed results through the first week of the MLB season. While the Blue Jays' offense started out strong, it's fizzled out in recent weeks. Their pitching hasn't been much better, and they've had some stellar outings mixed in with some miserable ones.

In doing so, the Blue Jays currently find themselves in the middle of the pack in both the American League East and American League Wild Card chases. But they'll need to turn things around quickly, as they've lost seven of their last eight games and 10 of their last 15. They need to stop the bleeding before it gets to be too late.

If the Jays continue to struggle on offense (like they did last year), this could end up being another lost season And if that's the case, Toronto will likely become trade deadline sellers once again.

Here's a look at three Jays players who could be on the move if the Blue Jays end up falling out of contention.

3 Blue Jays players that will be moved if they become sellers by the trade deadline 

RHP Chris Bassitt

This year is the final one of Bassitt's three-year, $63 million contract with the Jays. He's coming off a down year in 2024 where he posted less-than-stellar 4.16 ERA and 1.46 WHIP.

It marked his worst MLB season since he was with the Oakland Athletics in 2016, which made it seem like Father Time had finally caught up with the 36-year-old.

However, Bassitt had been a renaissance so far this year for the Jays.

He's compiled a solid 2.62 ERA in six starts along with a 1.17 WHIP and 39 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings. If he's able to maintain those numbers over the course of the season, he could become an attractive trade target for contending teams looking to add to their rotation for the stretch run.

If the Jays are clearly out of the running for the postseason by the trade deadline rolls around, Bassitt will be a prime candidate to be dealt by Toronto since he's on the last year of his deal.

SS Bo Bichette

From the time that Bichette made his MLB debut, it seemed like the star shortstop's timeline was in lockstep with his buddy Vladimir Guerrero Jr. While Guerrero's long-term contract eventually came to fruition in the form of a huge 14-year, $500 million contract extension, Bichette's future is still up in the air.

That uncertainty around Bichette's future may have determined his fate with the Blue Jays going forward.

With that tremendous amount of money committed to Guerrero long term, it 's fair to wonder if the Blue Jays have enough money left to retain Bichette to the long-term deal he deserves.

At the same time, the 27-year-old shortstop also needs to prove that he's worthy of such a deal.

Bichette is coming off the worst season of his career when he hit an abysmal .225 with four home runs and 31 RBI in 81 games. While his play last year was hampered by numerous injuries, he entered the season in dire need of a bounce back season.

So far this year, Bichette has brought his average back up to a respectable number, as he's hitting .292 through 28 games. However, the power outage that plagued him last season is still there. He has a .686 OPS and has yet to hit a home run this year. If Bichette is now more Luis Arraez than Derek Jeter he may not be worth the $200 million contract that he's seeking.

As a result the Jays may have no choice but to move him at the trade deadline to recoup some valuable assets for the future as opposed to losing him for nothing.

While his value may not be what it once was, Toronto would be smart to try to get something for him at the deadline if they're out of contention by the end of July.

RHP Max Scherzer 

Toronto signed Scherzer, former Cy Young winner, in free agency to help provide a much-needed boost to the rotation for 2025.

With his breadth of MLB experience as well as his postseason track record (h's won two World Series in his career), it made sense that Toronto's front office through that his leadership and winning pedigree could help take the Jays to another level.

Scherzer impressed in the spring, as he posted a 1-0 record with a sparkling 1.38 ERA along with a whopping 18 strikeouts in just 13 innings over four starts. That came a screeching halt at the end of the spring when he had his last couple spring starts scratched due to right thumb soreness. Nevertheless, Scherzer still made his season debut, which had all of Toronto dreaming about what a season of domintant Scherzer looks like.

We still don't know what that looks like.

The 40-year-old only last three innings in his season debut against the Orioles before leaving due to that thumb injury. He's been sidelined since. While the Blue Jays knew about the injury when the signed him, but they just didn’t expect it to flare up so early into his tenure with Toronto.

Recently, he has met with a specialist and was seen throwing off a mound last week, Jays manager John Schneider called a step in the right direction.

While Scherzer is 40, he can still be a difference maker when he's healthy.

It's that last caveat that will likely determine what his future with the Blue Jays looks like. While a Schrezer return in the middle of the summer would be great if the Blue Jays were in the postseason hunt, it wouldn't mean as much if the Blue Jays are out of the hunt.

If Scherzer returns when the Jays are on the outside of the postseason picture, he's a near-lock to get dealt. Not only is he 40, but he's also on a one-year contract. This wouldn't be the first time that happened in his career, as he was traded from the Mets to the Rangers in 2023 and helped Texas win its first World Series title.