Blue Jays Rumors: Several starting pitchers likely trade deadline targets for Toronto

Major League Baseball's trade deadline season is here, even if it doesn't quite feel like it yet. There's less than a month until the July 31 deadline, but with so many teams still contending, or thinking they're contenders, the rumor mill has been slow to develop.

Luckily for Toronto Blue Jays fans, this year's edition of the team is a contender and will be buyers at the deadline. It's going to be a much different — and much more fun — approach this time around than last season.

Earlier this week, before the Blue Jays proceeded to lay the smack down on the New York Yankees, general manager Ross Atkins gave us a glimpse behind the curtain of the Blue Jays' trade deadline plans. Atkins might be looking to add a right-handed bat. However, there appears to be a real focus on adding pitching, per MLB.com's Keegan Matheson.

“Probably on the run-prevention side more from a depth standpoint,” Atkins said about the Blue Jays' focus for the trade deadline, per Matheson. “If we can score more, we’ll look to do that. And adding a right-handed hitter to our team is something we’ve been trying to do internally, and we have considered external alternatives as well. The run-prevention side is probably going to come from pitching with how good our defense has been.”

We saw how shaky the Blue Jays' starting depth is during Max Scherzer's lengthy absence. With uncertainty around how much time the future Hall of Famer will stay healthy enough to contribute for the remainder of the season, adding more starting pitching has to be a no-brainer for the Blue Jays.

Blue Jays' trade deadline rumors picking up with focus on starting pitching

Which starting pitchers are available, or might be available, leading up to July 31? It's hard to say definitively at the moment, but ESPN recently ranked the top 50 trade candidates, and included the teams that are the best fits for each player.

Unsurprisingly, the list's composers, Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan, listed the Blue Jays as a fit for almost every starting pitcher they ranked. Even though it seems like the ESPN insiders just mashed Control+V while deciding where to insert the Blue Jays in their list, Toronto's pitching needs aren't a big secret.

The Blue Jays were included as a fit, albeit lower ranked than other contending teams, for starters like the Miami Marlins' Sandy Alcantara, the Milwaukee Brewers' Freddy Peralta, the Kansas City Royals' Seth Lugo, Walker Buehler of the Boston Red Sox, Nick Martinez of the Cincinnati Reds, and Erick Fedde of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Some of those names shouldn't excite Toronto fans. Walker Buehler, really? The right-hander has a 6.45 ERA and hasn't been good since his second Tommy John surgery in 2022. However, the ESPN gurus think the Blue Jays are the best fit for a handful of other starting arms.

Here's a breakdown of the four "best fit" pitchers the Blue Jays could pursue at the trade deadline.

Zac Gallen, ARI

Zac Gallen of the Arizona Diamondbacks has had the worst season of his MLB career. On an expiring contract, the 29-year-old right-hander has a 6-9 record with a 5.45 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 18 starts. However, the right-hander's track record should be enough to entice buyers at the deadline, including the Blue Jays. The former All-Star was a NL Cy Young finalist in 2023, and carried a 53-37 record with a career 3.29 ERA into this season.

Gallen's most recent start was a reminder of how good he can be. He held the San Francisco Giants to two runs (one earned) on five hits over seven innings while striking out 10. His other double-digit strikeout effort this season came against the Yankees in April, when he struck out 13 over 6 2/3 innings. That won't go unnoticed by the Blue Jays front office.

Merrill Kelly, ARI

Merrill Kelly, who's also a pending free agent with the Diamondbacks, has had a much better season in Arizona's rotation. With a 7-4 record in 18 outings, the 36-year-old righty has 10 quality starts with a 3.55 ERA and 1.09 WHIP.

Like Gallen, Kelly has postseason experience. He was an integral part of the D-backs' run to the World Series in 2023, going 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA and 0.83 WHIP in four playoff starts. That's some experience the Blue Jays could use in a second-half push.

Luis Severino, ATH

Blue Jays fans are quite familiar with 31-year-old Luis Severino from his time in Yankees pinstripes. Despite some impressive seasons in the past, the first-year Athletics right-hander isn't having his best campaign. Going 2-9 with a 5.09 ERA won't have the deadline suitors banging down the Athletics' door for a trade.

However, despite the $47 million on the two-years remaining on Severino's contract, his road numbers might entice somebody to take him out of the horrible Triple-A park in Sacramento, as McDaniel and Passan note. Away from Sutter Health Park, Severino has a 3.04 ERA but a weirdly low 26 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings.

Tyler Mahle, TEX

Tyler Mahle might not be the sexiest name on the potential trade block, but you can't argue with the results the Texas Rangers' right-hander is getting. The 30-year-old has a 6-3 record in 14 starts, with a 2.34 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in his first season back from 2024 Tommy John surgery.

Mahle's low strikeout numbers, with just 56 in 77 innings, and how much he's outperforming his expected stats might be a concern. With a 4.18 xERA and 4.35 xFIP, it feels like a matter of time until the act catches up to him. Or he could just be benefitting from a pitcher-friendly Globe Life Field, as his 0.82 ERA at home indicates. Perhaps leaving Mahle in Texas is the best option for Toronto's front office. The only thing that complicates this is that Mahle was recently placed on the injured list and won't return before the trade deadline.