5 Blue Jays prospects who could see the big leagues post-trade deadline

With the Toronto Blue Jays currently sitting in the basement of the AL East with a 45-55 record, “sell mode” should pretty much be activated soon with less than one week left until the trade deadline. As a result, Jays’ fans should brace themselves and expect quite the exodus of key players to aid in the retooling of the ballclub for next season.

In doing so, the Jays will ultimately need to fill in some of the holes that will be left in the roster following the trade transactions. So which Jays’ prospects that are not currently up already in the majors could possibly end up being promoted to see some big league action? Here, we will take a look at five promising candidates that could be earning the nod.

Hagen Danner

If the name Hagen Danner sounds a bit familiar, it could be for two reasons. For one, he was made infamous for his baseball card being messed up by Topps earlier this season. The other being that he was the tough-luck prospect that the Jays promoted last year in August whose stint lasted all but one batter. He ended up suffering a left oblique strain after 1/3 of an inning that wound up being a season-ending injury. As a result, Danner has been out to prove to everyone once again in 2024 that he truly deserves another shot with the big league club.

Playing for the Jays’ Triple-A affiliate Buffalo Bisons, Danner has been having a solid season to date, sporting a 2-0 record with a 3.18 ERA, 1.37 WHIP with 9 walks and 24 strikeouts in 22.2 innings pitched. However, he landed on the 7-day IL during the early parts of June with an unspecified injury and had been sidelined ever since.

With Jays’ relievers Chad Green, Yimi GarcÍa and Trevor Richards being potentially targeted by contending teams at the trade deadline, Danner could become a viable replacement in the bullpen when all is said and done. That, of course, will depend solely on how quickly he recovers from his undisclosed current ailment.

Phil Clarke

The Jays’ faithful may not be too familiar with the name Phil Clarke. After all, he is not among the Jays’ top 30 prospects in their system. Nevertheless, the former ninth-round pick from the 2019 MLB Draft has made steady progress in moving up the Jays’ minor league system in the past four years.

Clarke began the year this season with the Jays’ Double-A affiliate New Hampshire Fisher Cats. After putting together a solid first couple of months where he hit an impressive .307 with a .788 OPS, 8 RBI, 2 stolen bases, 16 walks and just 5 strikeouts in 29 games, he received a well-earned promotion to Buffalo. Since then, Clarke has registered his first Triple-A home run, along with 9 runs scored, 8 RBI and 2 stolen bases in 21 games. 

With Danny Jansen finding himself right in the middle of swirling trade rumors, there is a high possibility that he will have a new home by next week. So rather than calling up serviceable veterans such as Brian Serven, Payton Henry and Max McDowell to fill out the backup role behind Alejandro Kirk, the Jays should give Clarke the opportunity instead. Since by that time, the Jays will likely be just playing out the season, it would be more productive for them to give Clarke a run at the job to see what they have in the promising prospect. If he does well, he could become a viable option down the road. Whereas if he struggles mightily, then the Jays would know some more work needs to be done for the catching position for the future.

Adam Macko

Adam Macko has often become the forgotten return piece in the trade that sent Teoscar Hernández to the Seattle Mariners. But that may no longer be the case pretty soon for the Jays Journal No. 6 prospect. Macko had been putting together a solid 2024 minor league season to date with New Hampshire. In 15 starts with the Fisher Cats, he has posted a 5-4 record with a solid 4.42 ERA with 86 strikeouts in just 77.1 innings of work.

Macko had always been known for his strikeout ability, with a punchout rate that averaged close to 12 batters per nine innings. On the other hand, command had always been an issue for the 23-year-old as he has averaged over 4 walks per nine innings for his career. However for this season, Macko has greatly improved in that category, reducing his walk rate down to almost 3 batters per nine innings while registering a career-best 1.18 WHIP.

With Yusei Kikuchi and Chris Bassitt involved in recent trade talks, the Jays’ rotation could be searching for reinforcements in due time. But similar to Danner, Macko is also currently on the IL due to left forearm soreness. He is attempting to work his way back by rehabbing the injury with hopes to avoid surgery. If he manages to successfully do so, a prime starting spot could be opening for him at the major league level in the aftermath of the trade deadline.

Damiano Palmegiani 

Finally, we have one of last season’s breakout prospects in Damiano Palmegiani. Currently ranked 19th on the Jays Journal top prospects list, Palmegiani had a huge 2023 minor league year split between New Hampshire and Buffalo. Over 128 games, he batted .255 with an .842 OPS, along with 70 runs scored, 33 doubles, 23 home runs, 93 RBI and going a perfect 7-for-7 in stolen bases. His production numbers were so impressive that some thought he would have a legitimate chance to make the big league club some time during the current season.

However, 2024 hasn’t gone as planned for Palmegiani as he has had an up-and-down, underwhelming year so far with the Bisons. After starting off with a solid month in April, his season would be interrupted by an IL stint in mid-May. Palmegiani would make his return to Buffalo in mid-June to pick up where he left off, but has since struggled mightily in the month of July. For the season, he has hit just a paltry .212 with a .706 OPS, but has managed to still be mildly productive with 37 runs scored, 12 home runs and 39 RBI in 72 games played with the Bisons.

Depending on which positional players will be moved by the trade deadline by the Jays, Palmegiani could find himself promoted to the big leagues due to his flexibility in being able to play both in the infield and outfield positions. He may not be having his best season to date, but given that many of his fellow prospect teammates have also been struggling with their hitting at Buffalo, along with Orelvis Martinez being ineligible to return until mid-September, the Jays may have no choice but to give Palmegiani a shot at the big show.