4 ideal Blue Jays trade targets from within the AL East

The Toronto Blue Jays recent surge has suddenly pushed them back into legitimate contention for the postseason. In doing so, the Blue Jays will likely now be looking towards making valuable additions to bolster their roster for the stretch run. Toronto may still have some battles with their rivals in the American League East in 2025, but with divisional foes such as the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles fading fast from the race, the Blue Jays could end up pursuing players on these teams at the deadline.

4 ideal Toronto Blue Jays trade target fits from within the AL East

Zach Eflin, pitcher, Baltimore Orioles

With Kevin Gausman, José Berríos and Chris Bassitt the only reliable starters currently in the Blue Jays rotation, pitching will be at the highest priority for the club at the trade deadline. The Baltimore Orioles are headed towards their worst season in a long time, and should already be looking to reset after this year. In doing so, one of their top starters in Zach Eflin should be on the Jays’ wish list. 

Eflin was coming off consecutive seasons with a sub-3.60 ERA while posting double digits in wins in both 2023 and 2024. He also finished sixth in AL Cy Young voting in 2023. Even with the Orioles struggling this year, the 31-year-old right-hander has still managed to post a respectable 4.47 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, with only six walks over 46.1 IP in eight starts.

Moving to a contender like the Blue Jays could be the perfect antidote for Eflin to get back to his prior dominant form, while providing much-needed stability for their back-end of the rotation.

Tomoyuki Sugano, pitcher, Baltimore Orioles 

Japanese pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano is another solid candidate from the Orioles whose season has been even better than Eflin's to date . Playing in his first season in MLB, Sugano had been performing like he has been in the league for a long time. In 13 starts, the 35-year-old right-hander has compiled a 5-4 record with a solid 3.23 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. 

Sugano may not be your typical strikeout pitcher with only 42 punchouts in 75.1 IP, but he has limited the number of free passes to just 12 walks all season in 2025. He might not be in the same tier as Eflin, but Sugano could potentially give the Blue Jays more bang for their buck as the assets needed to acquire him could be a lot less compared to Eflin. On top of that, with Jays fans falling in love with Yusei Kikuchi during his time in Toronto, Sugano could be the next Japanese sensation to become a fan favourite for the franchise.

Walker Buehler, pitcher, Boston Red Sox

The Max Scherzer experiment for the Jays might be deemed as a failure due to his injury woes, but that doesn’t mean Toronto should shy away from once-dominant, injury-prone, championship-winning veterans that could make a difference for the club down the stretch. That's why pursuing former two-time World Series champion Walker Buehler from the Red Sox should be a no-brainer.

Despite having a less-than-stellar start to 2025, Buehler had strung together six solid starts before faltering a bit again in his last two outings. During the six-game stretch, he showed flashes of his former dominant self, posting a 3-1 record with a tidy 2.56 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, along with 29 strikeouts in 31.2 IP. More importantly, his championship-winning pedigree could go a long way in helping the Blue Jays finally get over the hump.

Zack Littell, pitcher, Tampa Bay Rays

As pointed out by MLB insider Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Tampa Bay Rays are one of the rare teams in the league that makes trades to unload players while acquiring others in the midst of being in contention. Just last season, the Rays dealt legitimate contributors in Eflin, Randy Arozarena and Isaac Paredes at the trade deadline while acquiring solid pieces in return in Dylan Carlson and Christopher Morel.

With starting pitcher Zack Littell heading into free agency he could become an attractive under-the-radar addition for the Jays’ rotation. His name may not be as flashy as other prominent ones in the league, but Littell has quietly put together a solid MLB career, with a 30-26 record with a 3.88 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 215 games played. More importantly, he has flourished as a starter during the past two seasons, maintaining a sub-4.00 ERA and sub-1.25 WHIP in the role.

This year, Littell has rebounded in a big way after a slow start, giving up three runs or less in each of his past 10 starts while compiling a stellar 2.83 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. With the Rays often churning out unbelievable pitching talent, it is about time the Blue Jays capitalize on adding one to their roster for good.