MLB announces trade deadline date change that puts pressure on Blue Jays

The MLB trade deadline is moving again. MLB announced on Wednesday (Jan. 28) that this years final day to make trades will be on Monday, Aug. 3 at 6pm EST. Under the 2022 collective bargaining agreement, MLB has the freedom to set the deadline on any date between July 28 and Aug 3. This is the first time they have chosen the last date available.

This allows all teams to be stationed somewhere on the day of the deadline with no day games scheduled and no teams playing on a "getaway day," which would have been the case had they chosen any of the other available dates.

The pushback also means the pressure will be on the Blue Jays, and other contenders, to make even more calculated decisions on potentially adding to their roster, and the price they may have to pay.

MLB announces trade deadline date change that puts pressure on Blue Jays

One of the big things GM Ross Atkins will have to consider is that by waiting to make a a trade on deadline day the player, specifically a rental piece, will end up playing less games overall for the Blue Jays. Sure it's just three less days, but a lot can change for teams in three days, especially at this time of the year.

This past season on July 28 (three days before the deadline) the Texas Rangers were 0.5 games back of the final Wild Card spot. The Tampa Bay Rays were 2.5 games behind them, followed by the Cleveland Guardians (4 GB), and the LA Angels and Kansas City Royals were (both 4.5 GB).

Three days later on deadline day, the Rangers had lost half a game on the Seattle Mariners for the final spot, but had created some separation between themselves and the other teams. Cleveland was 3 games behind, Kansas City 3.5, Tampa 4.0, while the Angels remained at 4.5.

That first series for teams in August of 2026 (July 31-Aug 2 weekend) could create a huge swing between teams that are buying, and teams that are selling at the deadline. Consider the Blue Jays biggest acquisition at the 2025 deadline was Shane Bieber, picked up from the Guardians, if they had three extra days to make up another game in the standings, would they have still been willing to make that deal? Of course, they also had an historic comeback to steal the division away from the Detroit Tigers on the last day of the regular season without him.

However, Atkins has made it a habit of trying to get some deals done ahead of the actual deadline day. For example, as a seller in 2024, he made five deals before the deadline. In 2023, he made one move two days before the deadline and then one emergency move (getting Paul DeJong to replace an injured Bo Bichette) on deadline day.

The Blue Jays will begin a series against the Houston Astro's on the road on this year's deadline day and they will hopefully be in a buyers position again. If everything is going well, they won't need to add as much as they did at the 2025 deadline where they picked up reliever's Seranthony Dominguez and Louis Varland, as well as first baseman / DH Ty France in addition to Bieber.

But there will no doubt be guys who get banged up, bruised, and under perform over the course of the first four months of the season, lending to the need that a reinforcement or two will be needed come Aug. 3.