5 rival trade rumors that could be disastrous for the Blue Jays

If any of these rumors come to fruition, what would it mean for the Blue Jays and their quest to the playoffs?

Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani | Michael Owens/GettyImages
2 of 5

2. The Rays appear to have strong interest in starting pitcher Marcus Stroman of the Cubs

Sports Illustrated has recently revealed that the Rays have been linked in talks with the Cubs with regards to acquiring former Jays’ ace Marcus Stroman in a potential blockbuster deal, according to Onto Waveland Podcast with Brett Taylor, Sahadev Sharma, and Patrick Mooney. Outside of Ohtani, Stroman represents the best starting pitcher trade target available at the deadline and will no doubt be highly coveted by many teams. As a result, any finalized trade transaction involving Stroman will probably end up being a huge blockbuster deal.

Despite playing for a struggling Cubs team for the most part of the 2023 season, Stroman had been one of the few bright spots on the ballclub, along with the revitalized Cody Bellinger and fellow starter Justin Steele. In 21 games started, he has compiled a 10-7 winning record with a 3.51 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, giving up 49 earned runs with just eight home runs, with 48 walks and 109 strikeouts in 125.2 innings of work.

Adding Stroman to the Rays, who already have ace-like material in both Zach Eflin and Shane McClanahan, would instantly transform them into a strong three-headed monster in their starting rotation. Combining with the consistent Tyler Glasnow, their rotation would be set for the playoff run and would definitely be a huge gauntlet the Jays will need to run through in order for any postseason success at all.