Potential Blue Jays trade target likely out of action at least until the deadline

With the way the Toronto Blue Jays have been playing lately, one wouldn’t think they would need to tinker with their roster too much going forward. All they have done over the last month is keep on winning with both hitting and pitching clicking on all cylinders. 

However, there’s one area that remains a main worry despite the recent success of the Blue Jays. That aspect is their starting pitching. Following Kevin Gausman, José Berríos and Chris Bassitt, the back end of the rotation isn’t a sure thing with Max Scherzer’s on and off thumb issues and whether the surprising performance of Eric Lauer can hold up for the rest of the season.

Potential Blue Jays trade target likely out of action at least until the deadline

As a result, obtaining solid starting pitching depth at the right price at the trade deadline is a must for Toronto. There is currently an ideal candidate that they should pursue that was a part of ESPN’s top 50 trade candidates where the Jays were deemed a best fit. That player is none other than Texas Rangers’ starter Tyler Mahle. But unfortunately, the Jays won’t likely be able to scout him any more prior to the deadline as he is currently sidelined due to a right shoulder injury.

Mahle, a veteran of nine MLB seasons, was signed by the Rangers to a two-year deal during the 2023-24 offseason despite still recovering from Tommy John surgery that took place during the 2023 season. After an abbreviated 2024 campaign with Texas in which he made just three starts and posted a less-than-stellar 4.97 ERA and 1.42 WHIP coming off his surgery, Mahle had bounced back in a big way for the club this year. For 2025, he has compiled an impressive 6-3 record with a tidy 2.34 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, along with yielding just four home runs in 77 innings pitched across 14 starts to date. 

Never mind filling out the back end of the rotation for the Jays. But with those numbers, Mahle could even fit in nicely in their front end of the rotation with Gausman and Bassitt not exactly having their usual dominance as we have witnessed from their seasons prior. 

However, what might be more worrisome is the fact that what began as just right shoulder fatigue for Mahle back in mid-June, it had since been further downgraded to a rotator cuff strain and Mahle was even shut down from throwing just a week ago. In doing so, he will likely be out of action until at least the trade deadline and possibly even beyond.

Therefore, with the uncertainty of his status going forward, especially post-trade deadline, the Jays would need to seriously consider if they should take the high-risk for the high-reward in acquiring the starting option from the Rangers. If Mahle is back at full health, he could be a huge boost to the Jays’ rotation down the stretch. But if the injury continues to linger and persist, then the potential move could become a complete disaster instead.

Nevertheless, excitement has been brought back to Blue Jays baseball this year. So they should continue to provide that excitement with action at the trade deadline to further improve the team whenever possible.