Blue Jays fans should be ready to say goodbye to 2 players at the MLB trade deadline

As the Toronto Blue Jays continue their current dominant run, it sure looks like they will be trade deadline buyers once again. Having caught up to the New York Yankees for the division lead and with the opportunity to position themselves well heading into the stretch run, the Jays will look to bolster their roster to give themselves a legitimate shot at postseason success this time around.

In order to do so, Toronto will likely need to part ways with some promising top prospects to get any deal done. Both Arjun Nimmala and Trey Yesavage appear to be as close to untouchable as one could be, barring a huge acquisition being made by the Blue Jays. But there are other players who could end up being used as trade chips at the deadline. Here, we will take a look at two young candidates in the Blue Jays system that will likely be moved in the coming weeks.

Blue Jays fans should be ready to say goodbye to 2 players at the MLB trade deadline

Joey Loperfido

As one of the key return pieces in the Yusei Kikuchi trade from last season, Joey Loperfido found himself in almost an everyday role with the Blue Jays down the stretch in 2024. Loperfido did show flashes of his potential during that time, but was only able to hit .197 with a .579 OPS, 13 runs scored, eight doubles, three triples, two home runs and nine RBIs over 43 games of action. 

With the opportunity to challenge for a role with the Jays in 2025, Loperfido began the year with their Triple-A affiliate Buffalo Bisons and has stayed there ever since. He's hitting a solid .269 with a .756 OPS, 36 runs scored, 17 doubles, six home runs and 36 RBIs in 73 games with Buffalo. However, he has watched his teammates left and right get the call up to the big leagues, but still hasn't recieved the call for himself. 

What that means is with players such as Addison Barger, Alan Roden, Myles Straw, Davis Schneider, Jonatan Clase, Nathan Lukes and even Will Robertson ahead of him in the pecking order, Loperfido appears to have fallen out of favour. As a result, he could instead be used as a valuable trade chip come the deadline due to his attractive power potential, as he was the Houston Astros’ No. 6 prospect last year for a reason.

Orelvis Martinez

But when it comes to the most prolific power bat that Toronto may have in their farm system, there’s none bigger than Orelvis Martinez. Ranked in top five in the Jays’ top prospects list for four consecutive seasons, including in the MLB Top 100 last year, Martinez has the ability to be the next best homegrown prospect since Vladimir Guerrero Jr. With the potential to become a 30-homer, 100-RBI man once fully developed, he would be the perfect bat to add to the Jays lineup to significantly boost their offense.

However, a suspension from last season and some ongoing struggles this year with the Bisons has kept the promising young 23-year-old stuck in the minors for now. In 68 games to date, Martinez has batted just .189 with a .631 OPS, 27 runs scored, 11 doubles, nine home runs and 25 RBIs. But he is only two years removed from his superb 2023 campaign where he put up 28 home runs and 94 RBIs in just 125 games played.

With Nimmala progressing at a meteoric rate, if the Jays need to deal a positional or hitting prospect, they should turn to their No. 3 prospect in the system in Martinez. There’s no doubt that he may eventually develop into the power hitter that the Blue Jays need, but with the Blue Jays’ window of contention open wide right now, they may not have the time to wait for that growth. Therefore, Toronto should use Martinez to help address a need at the trade deadline without losing much in the short term. He will definitely be attractive to a rebuilding team that’s willing to wait for his game to fully mature to unleash his full potential.