Blue Jays Trade Deadline: One target from EVERY non-contending team to pursue

The Toronto Blue Jays continue to win ballgames, now sitting at 45-39 on the year with a 61.7% chance of making the 2023 playoffs per FanGraphs. Things have been going smoothly for the club as of late, as they are 6-4 in their last 10 and the offense finally appears to be waking up.

As the trade deadline approaches, there seem to be a few areas in need of an upgrade on the Blue Jays' active roster. Since a division victory, or more likely as of right now, a Wild Card spot, still is fully within reach, the Jays appear to be leaning more "buyers" than "sellers" at the deadline.

Starting pitcher, relief pitcher, bench bat, power hitter. These are the top items on a potential "trade deadline wish list" for the Jays. With Alek Manoah nowhere near big league-ready, acquiring a starter is of the utmost importance for the club. Ross Atkins recently told the media that he does not want to operate with four true starters and a bullpen day each time through the rotation. This means that a starter is likely priority No. 1. Fortunately, there are quite a few targets out there that fit that bill.

Let's look around the league and pick out an ideal trade target for the Blue Jays from every non-contending team. We left out teams leading divisions (even the Twins, who are atop the AL Central with a win-loss record below .500) and clubs that feel like

Staying in the AL East

• Boston Red Sox - Adam Duvall

The Red Sox are certainly going to be hesitant to make a trade inside of their own division, but Duvall seems like the likeliest candidate to be moved. Multiple outlets including Chris Cotillo at MassLive say that the fact that Boston survived without Duvall when he was injured for months means he can be an expendable piece at the deadline. Again, may not happen since the Blue Jays are in the same division, but the 34-year-old outfielder has experience all over the grass and carries significant thump in his bat.

AL West trade targets

While the American League Central had four teams that are already more "out of it" than "in the hunt", the AL West is a little bit of a tighter race. The Mariners are currently 38-42, 10.5 GB of the first-place Rangers, who seem to be running away with the division. With playoff odds at just 11.3 percent, there's very little chance that the club stands pat and doesn't make an effort to get something of value out of their rental pieces.

• Seattle Mariners - Teoscar Hernández

Speaking of Mariners rentals, wouldn't this be something? The crazy thing is that such a move to bring Teoscar back to Toronto is far from impossible. After all, he was an immensely popular figure on the club and he still has some pretty impressive thump in his bat. So far this year, the 30-year-old has clubbed 15 home runs in 80 games, driving in 46 runs while scoring 36 of his own. While he leads the majors in strikeouts with 108, he also has a respectable .749 OPS and a 110 OPS+ to go along with it. His expiring contract means that the Mariners could look to flip him for something of value, so who knows?

• Oakland Athletics - Paul Blackburn

These poor, poor Oakland A's. Despite the fact that they've won some recent series against the Brewers, Rays and Pirates, this is still a club that is going absolutely nowhere (except maybe Las Vegas). To make matters even worse, the team has very little in the way of truly tradeable assets. Could they flip some of their aging rookies who are suddenly emerging as power bats like Ryan Noda and Brent Rooker? Sure, but the Blue Jays may be more interested in some of their pitching. Young left-hander JP Sears is an intriguing option, but he's been pitching well this year and is under team control until the conclusion of the 2028 season, so he will not come cheap. 29-year-old Paul Blackburn is a name to watch, though. He, too, is under team control through 2025, but he's been a fairly solid pitcher for the past two years and could give the Blue Jays a bit of depth as either a starter or reliever.

NL East trade targets

Boy, oh boy, who could've predicted that the Mets of all teams would end up being in the "seller" category at this year's deadline? Not these guys. With such a stacked team from top to bottom, it's frankly pretty shocking that they sit at 37-46, 18.5 GB of the first-place Braves in the NL East.

• New York Mets - Tommy Pham

Starting pitcher Max Scherzer felt like a solid choice here, but he'd likely command a significant trade package to acquire him and he has a full no-trade clause that he'd have to waive in order to send him to the Blue Jays. So instead it's Pham, a power hitting outfielder who is a playing out a cheap, one-year deal and has miraculously turned things around at the dish after multiple years of so-so offense. In 61 games, the 35-year-old has nine home runs and 32 RBI, posting a .284 average and 138 OPS+, which would be his highest in a full season since all the way back in 2017. Bringing him aboard as a fourth outfielder with some thump in his bat makes a lot of sense.

• Washington Nationals - Kyle Finnegan

The Nationals are another horrible team with not a whole lot in the way of tradeable assets. Jeimer Candelario feels like one of the better players that will be floated in trade talks, but where are the Blue Jays supposed to play another third baseman with Matt Chapman around? No, instead, the Jays should target relief pitcher Kyle Finnegan, who has quietly been a very solid contributor at the back end of the Nationals' bullpen for years now. The 31-year-old is not set to hit free agency until after the 2025 season and has posted sub-4.00 ERAs and ERA+'s over 100 in each of the past four seasons, including 2023. Not to mention, he also has closing experience, which you can never have enough of to round out your bullpen.

NL Central trade targets

There doesn't seem to be a single National League Central team that is an absolute lock to make the 2023 postseason. The Reds and Brewers are both one losing streak away from seeing their playoff hopes dwindle, while the Pirates, Cubs and Cardinals all seem to be one winning streak away from suddenly being back in the thick of things. However, the latter three feel destined to stay in the cellar, so there are likely going to be quite a few assets moved in the next month or so.

• Pittsburgh Pirates - Rich Hill

Gosh, this would be such a fun acquisition. Somehow, someway, 43-year-old Rich Hill is still kicking and has been right around a league-average pitcher this season. The 19-year veteran has been surprisingly durable in recent years and continues to be an effective innings eater, which is something the Blue Jays could very much use. Hill is on an expiring contract and would likely cost next to nothing to acquire, so he may be worth a look. In 16 starts this season, the southpaw is 7-7 with a 4.45 ERA, 4.26 FIP and 99 ERA+.

• Chicago Cubs - Marcus Stroman

While Cody Bellinger would be one heck of a get for Ross Atkins and Co., the Cubs appear to be inching closer and closer to dealing Stroman despite the fact that he has expressed an interest in re-signing with the club. The ex-Blue Jays hurler is in the midst of an incredible second year in Chicago, as he has a 2.47 ERA and 178 ERA+ through 17 starts and 102 innings. It's easy for Jays fans to say that they don't want him on their team, but if the proper circumstances come together, there's a legitimate shot that we see him return to where it all began, even if it's just as a rental piece.

• St. Louis Cardinals - Jordan Montgomery

Seeing if the Cardinals are going to stand pat or become soft "sellers" is going to be one of the more interesting storylines to watch as the deadline moves closer. With a ton of tradeable assets that could all net strong returns, one player to watch is starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery. The 30-year-old southpaw is on an expiring contract and has been money for the Cardinals since his acquisition at last year's deadline. In 16 starts this season, he is 5-7 with a 3.52 ERA, 3.51 FIP and 122 ERA+. He continues to limit the longball with the best of them and would be a huge boost to the Blue Jays' starting rotation.

NL West trade targets

The National League West is another division that has four teams that could legitimately make a run at the division title. While the Padres are under .500 right now, a second-half surge feels much likelier than any sort of tanking or sell-off at the deadline. Instead, we're stuck with the loveable losers, the Colorado Rockies, who find themselves in a tough spot. At 33-51, the club is nowhere close to contention, so trading off assets is probably the best move. Unfortunately, there aren't many moveable pieces outside of C.J. Cron (who wouldn't fit on the Blue Jays thanks to the fact that he plays the exact same positions as Brandon Belt and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.), Jurickson Profar, Kyle Freeland or perhaps even old friend Randal Grichuk.

• Colorado Rockies - Randal Grichuk

Grichuk is another popular ex-Blue Jay who could conceivably find a decent amount of playing time if he returned to his old club. Playing out the final season of a five-year extension he signed while still in Toronto, Grichuk has been swinging the bat well this season, despite the fact that there has been little power to speak of in his bat. In 48 games, he has two home runs with 18 runs batted in, a .294 average and 104 OPS+. It's a small sample size still, but his strikeout rate is down and his walks are up, so maybe bringing him aboard as a few-month rental would be a smart move for the Jays to make.