Last year, it was the Toronto Blue Jays who were handing out rentals at the trade deadline. Could they flip the script in 2025?
In a flurry of moves last year, the Blue Jays shipped Yusei Kikuchi to the Houston Astros, Danny Jansen to the Boston Red Sox, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa to the Pittsburgh Pirates. All of those players were about to hit free agency at the time.
But given that the Blue Jays are in playoff position at the moment, they're more likely to take on some impending free agents of their own. And the starting rotation could be a piece of the roster they look to upgrade.
One baseball writer believes that a Kansas City Royals starter might be perfectly suited to the Blue Jays' needs.
On Tuesday, FanSided's Christopher Kline named Royals All-Star Seth Lugo, who can opt out of his $15 million salary for 2026 and pursue free agency this winter, as a "dream" trade target for these Blue Jays.
"The Royals were expected to contend this season, but an anemic offense has made it unclear if Lugo (and others) will survive the deadline. It's a great opportunity for Toronto to poach a key postseason arm from an AL rival," Kline wrote.
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"Lugo has an incredible array of breaking pitches and a knack for painting the zone and keeping hitters out of rhythm. He was impressive for Kansas City in the 2024 playoffs and he'd bring a wealth of situational experience to a team with October aspirations like the Blue Jays."
Dating back to the start of 2024, Lugo owns a 2.93 ERA in 48 starts. He was the runner-up in the American League Cy Young Award chase last season, and though he spent some time on the injured list with a finger injury earlier this year, he's kept chugging along ever since.
If the Blue Jays could land Lugo, they'd have to be considered serious threats to steal the AL East crown from the New York Yankees. Then, perhaps they'd finally go on that deep postseason run that fans have been craving.
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