Blue Jays prospects who could land a prime trade candidate

We're still over a month away from the MLB trade deadline, but the bar for blockbuster moves has already been set. Rafael Devers being traded from the Boston Red Sox to the San Francisco Giants is a deal that may go down as the shocker of the season. However, that doesn't mean the Blue Jays can't pull off a big deal of their own in the hopes of returning to the playoffs for the first time in two years.

At this point, the Blue Jays do have some areas of need at the big-league level and MLB.com just released a list of the top 14 prime trade candidates, with three pitchers being mentioned as a possibility to land in Toronto. Those pitchers are Edward Cabrera of the Marlins, Kyle Finnegan of the Nationals, and Freddy Peralta of the Brewers.

Blue Jays prospects who could land a prime trade candidate

So, what would it take to land any of these pitchers? The Blue Jays will likely have to be willing to dig into their farm system and part with some higher-level prospects to make things happen.

A deal for a strikeout artist

Mark Fiensand says moving Peralta to the Blue Jays, "would be a bold move" but the Brewers have a “history of dealing players as they get closer to free agency (see Josh Hader, Corbin Burnes and Devin Williams). The Blue Jays haven’t added a player of Peralta’s caliber at the deadline since they picked up José Berrios from Minnesota in 2021. Peralta has a10.53 K/9 rate since 2023 ranks eighth in all of baseball with back-to-back 200 strikeout seasons.

Orelvis Martinez is a player who could be the centre piece of a deal for Peralta. Despite his underperformance this season (nine home runs, .209 batting average) his power potential remains attractive, with 119 minor league home runs over five years. His value is not as high as it once was, but there are reasons to dream on his offensive abilities.

He’s Toronto’s third ranked prospect and that still carries some weight – but for how long remains to be seen if Martinez continues to hit at a below-average pace. Martinez wouldn’t be enough to get a deal done but could be the start of those talks between the Blue Jays and the Brewers.

Adding to the back-end of the bullpen

Finnegan is a 33-year-old closer for the Nationals who has racked up 18 saves and a 3.12 ERA.  An All-Star in 2024, Finnegan ranks in the 65th percentile in ground-ball rate (45.6%) and his 96.1 mph average fastball ranks in the 80th percentile.

The Nationals will be looking for pitching depth in return for their moves at the deadline and15 players on the Blue Jays Top 30 Prospects List are pitchers, which means they could line up for a deal. Trades for relievers who are becoming free agents usually don’t cost a ton so a name along the lines of 25th ranked prospect Lazaro Estrada or 26th ranked prospect Angel Bastardo could be enough to get talks rolling. It would likely cost one or possibly two more lower-level players, but the Blue Jays should have more than enough to snag a veteran arm like Finnegans.

An investment in a younger power arm

Cabrera is a 27-year-old 6’5” 217lbs right hander whose fastball velo is in the 85th percentile of the league, sitting at 96.5 and he has some swing and miss capabilities with a 25% strikeout percentage. He has a 19-24 record with a career 4.28 ERA and could be a pitcher who could anchor the back end of a rotation down the stretch. He also won't be a free agent until 2029.

The Marlins are said to be looking for a big bat, particularly at shortstop in exchange for their top arms. That ask is generally being directed to any GM who is inquiring about Sandy Alcantara, but they could also be mentioning this in talks about any of their other players. The Blue Jays could provide them with an answer for players who have solid potential with their bat who play on the infield.

Charles McAdoo, while struggling this season in double-A has posted a .264 batting average with a .346 on-base percentage in his first three seasons of minor league ball. Will Wagner, while no longer a true prospect, but still has limited time in the MLB. While that could end up looking like an overpay down the road as Wagner has shown the ability to hit with a .297/.398/.444 slash line in five years at the minor league level, Cabrera has shown flashes of tremendous potential and might be coming into his own just now.

No matter who they move, the Blue Jays are in a position to be buyers and should start exploring which prospects they could move to get the assets they need for their big-league team.