3 players the Blue Jays will regret holding onto at the trade deadline

It's been a little over a week since the trade deadline, where the Toronto Blue Jays managed to sell off all of their rental players. The trade market proved to be more enticing for selling teams than what was even expected, and the Blue Jays were able to revamp their farm system, while keeping all of the core players.

This was an encouraging deadline for the Blue Jays in terms of getting the proper returns for this player, but is it possible they didn't cash in on as much as they could have? The Jays still had several trade candidates that did not get moved, and that doesn't even include the big names of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. In the landscape of a very heavy sellers market, these are the three players the Jays may regret holding onto the most.

Chad Green

Chad Green has been the saving grace of this Blue Jays bullpen. With the removal of Yimi Garcia and Trevor Richards, Green is the only Blue Jays reliever to post an fWAR over 0.0. He's managed to be incredibly effective in his appearances, both as a closer and any other role the Jays put him in. He's certainly been an effective reliever this year, but the real question that comes into play is his contract. Green's club option was accepted in the off-season, so he will be paid $10.5M in 2025.

If the Jays are looking to contend again in 2025, they'll certainly need an improved bullpen. However at the salary he's being paid for next year, it's just as possible to reallocated that money into a couple of effective relievers, which the Jays will desperately need, as their bullpen ranks 30th in fWAR this season (-1.6). Judging by the market for relievers this trade deadline, Green could have gotten the Jays a better return, over what he could potentially offer.

Kevin Gausman

This is the trickiest one. Kevin Gausman has been one of the most successful free agent signings that the Jays have had. His first 2 seasons with the Jays were among some of the better seasons the Blue Jays have had from a starting pitcher. Despite him having a down season in 2024, (89 ERA+) he is still a steady veteran would improve a team's chances of winning. His value may have dropped, but not enough to the point where other teams would not have any interest in him.

Gausman still has two years and $46M left on his contract after this season, which is a hefty sum to pay, in what's been a relatively expensive rotation for the Jays. While there's still hope for Gausman resurging in future seasons, it may not be enough to justify the price being paid, especially in the position the Blue Jays find themselves in. They have the potential to be contenders next season, but a lot still needs to go right for that to be remotely possible.

Gausman could be a part of that, or the Jays could have used their window to unload him, as they try a more proper re-tool. Now that the deadline is over, and all of these players remain, time will tell how impactful that will play into their future season. Moves were made, and the Blue Jays have to hope it was enough.