Current market reveals perfect doomsday Blue Jays 2026 deadline plan (if necessary)

The Toronto Blue Jays have every intention of once again fighting for the AL East division title in 2026 and defending their AL Championship deep into the postseason. However, sometimes things don't always turn out the way you planned.

Look no further than the Baltimore Orioles who won the AL East in 2023 after winning101 games. They followed that up with a 91 win season in '24, earning a Wild Card spot, and then failed to make the playoffs in 2025.

The way the Blue Jays have structured the roster this offseason, quite a bit would have to go wrong for them to not even be considered a wild card contender. However, strange things happen and if the Blue Jays have to resort to a disaster plan, the trade market is currently revealing some intriguing prices that sellers could recoup.

The Blue Jays could get a haul if they enter the deadline as sellers

Recent trades around the league have resulted in some high end prospects being moved for top tier MLB talent, and if that trend continues into the summer, the Blue Jays may could reap some of those benefits with who they could dangle at the deadline.

The Washington Nationals just got five of the Rangers' Top 25 prospects in exchange for pitcher Mackenzie Gore. The Chicago White Sox got one of the more intriguing young hitters in the game in 23-year-old Luisangel Acuña and a RHP prospect in exchange for one season of Luis Robert Jr. Freddy Peralta netted the Brewers two of the Top 100 prospects on Baseball America's list.

So right there were have three examples of the types of players that teams are willing to conceded to get a player they think will help them win now and the Blue Jays have a few of those types of guys on their roster that might not be back in 2026.

At 36-years-old everone is wondering what George Springer might have left in the tank. But he proved in 2025 that he's still got some runway and if is anywhere close to replicating his 4.8 bWAR season, he could be a hot commodity at the deadline. For a guy with 30+ home run power and an OPS of .959, the Blue Jays could conceivable land at least one high end prospect for a team who needs a...spring in their step as they try to contend.

Kevin Gausman is another impending free agent. The 35-year-old right hander has led the Blue Jays rotation over the last four season's and 2025 was no exception. In four years with the Blue Jays, Guasman has been worth 11.2 bWAR and last year he threw a career high 193 innings with 189 strikeouts and a 119 ERA+.

Joining Gausman in the rotation out of the gates this year is 31-year-old Shane Bieber. He was picked up at the deadline for prospect Khal Stephens in a one-for-one deal with the Cleveland Guardians. Bieber was coming off Tommy John surgery and in 40 regular season innings he pitched to a 120 ERA+ with 37 strikeouts and a 1.017 WHIP.

Out of the bullpen is Yimi Garcia, who will be trying to get through a full healthy season in 2026. He battled numerous injuries in 2025 and wasn't available for the Blue Jays playoff run. But when he was on the mound, he was effective. The 34-year-old had 25 strikeouts in 21 innings pitched, although he did have a career high 5.1 BB/9 rate.

But as we've seen with the recent signing of Seranthony Dominguez to the White Sox, teams are willing to bring in bullpen arms if they can strike their way out of trouble, even if those walks tend to cause said trouble. Same goes for Eric Lauer, who is heading to an arbitration hearing with the Blue Jays in February, is in his final year of arbitration eligibility.

Lauer is likely slated for a bullpen role, although he showed through most of the summer in 2025 that he is a capable starter. Lauer pitched 74 innings in 15 starts and had 74 strikeouts with a 3.77 ERA.

Between Gausman, Bieber, Garcia and Lauer, those are three arms that could be coveted at the deadline should the Blue Jays no longer be in contention. The last player though could not only fetch the most in a deal, but also be the hardest piece to part with, and that's Daulton Varsho.

Varsho will be 30-years-old at the near the middle of the season in 2026 and in 2025 it looked like he had finally unlocked his power potential in Toronto. He hit 20 home runs in 71 games while once again providing Gold Glove level defence in centre field.

The issue was, the injuries and when he wasn't hitting home runs he was barely putting the ball in play. But while other teams may come knocking on the Blue Jays' door to inquire about acquiring Varsho at the deadline, losing both him and Springer could leave a major hole in their outfield plans for 2027.

On the other hand, the Blue Jays would still have Anthony Santander, Addison Barger, Nathan Lukes and Joey Loperfido on the roster. While none of them stack up to Varsho's defensive prowess in patrolling center field, all of them could potentially be more productive at the plate and that's what the Blue Jays will have to weigh in a Varsho deal.

Hopefully, it doesn't come to this and the Blue Jays are in a spot where they are buyers and not sellers at the deadline, but if they are they have some pieces that could net a profitable return.