It’s the time of the season for deals. Major League Baseball’s Aug. 1 trade deadline is approaching, with franchises either looking to land cornerstone talent, or boatloads of prospects to restock their farm systems.
North of the border, the Toronto Blue Jays enter the 2023 MLB Trade Deadline period squarely in the mix for a playoff berth. The Blue Jays have been a decent bet at Ontario sportsbooks and sat 5.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East – in the third and final Wild Card spot at 57-46 for the season – entering Thursday.
Using the trade rumor mill, OntarioBets.com developed hypothetical odds of the players who the Blue Jays have the best likelihood of landing by the Aug. 1 MLB trade deadline. Toronto might acquire multiple players, but this is the list of who is the most likely to land at the Rogers Centre.
Likely Trade Deadline Targets For Blue Jays
Who Blue Jays Could Trade For At Deadline
The Blue Jays have been anything but conservative at the deadline under general manager Ross Atkins. He has acquired superstars like infielder Matt Chapman (from the Oakland A’s in 2022), pitchers Jose Berrios (from the Minnesota Twins in 2021) and Steven Matz (from the New York Mets in 2021) in recent years for the Blue Jays. The team currently has between +1400 and +2000 odds at various Ontario sports betting apps to win the World Series.
So we expect Atkins and company to be especially aggressive at the deadline this year. The American League is wide open this season and the Blue Jays are as well positioned to win it all as they have been since capturing their last World Series title in 1993.
Look for Atkins to try to swing deals for veteran relievers, such as Cubs righty Michael Fulmer and Royals righty Scott Barlow. Toronto, as so often happens with many teams, looks to shore up its bullpen for a stretch run.
The best odds for the Jays to win the AL East are at BetMGM Ontario Sportsbook, where bookmakers have them pegged at +900.
Other trade targets include veteran outfielders Tommy Pham (of the Mets) and Randal Grichuk (Rockies). Grichuk is a familiar face for Toronto fans, having played for the Blue Jays between 2018 and 2021 before he was dealt to the Rockies for Raimel Tapia and Adrian Pinto.
Urgency Increasing For Playoff Push
One way or another, the Blue Jays are going to need to double down on their roster to avoid missing the playoffs for a second straight season in 2023.
That’s why we expect Atkins and the rest of the Toronto front office to be especially aggressive in swinging deals between now and Aug. 1. The Blue Jays will want to make the right moves to hold off teams like the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees to clinch a postseason berth this fall.
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