Blue Jays have specific top trade deadline need due to Max Scherzer problem

Blue Jays have specific top trade deadline need due to Max Scherzer problem originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Toronto Blue Jays have had a lot of injury issues this season, with both the lineup and the pitching staff decimated by injuries at times this season.

Looking at the starting rotation, it’s clear that the Blue Jays have a big issue there. Even though Trey Yesavage, Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, and even Shane Bieber are locked in right now, there is a big question going forward with this rotation.

But, while the Blue Jays’ top trade deadline need is in the rotation, due to a Max Scherzer problem, among other issues, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand identified the top need for Toronto as a more specific kind of pitcher: a controllable starting pitcher.

Why Blue Jays need a controllable starting pitcher

“Despite being under .500, the Blue Jays are in the thick of the AL Wild Card race,” Feinsand writes. “So adding a starter – preferably a controllable one, as Gausman, Biebrer, and Scherzer will be free agents after the season, while Jose Berrios and Cody Ponce will still be rehabbing from surgery – would be ideal for Toronto.”

There is one through-line for the Blue Jays in their immediate and long-term starting pitching need, and it’s Max Scherzer.

He’s currently injured, and also, when he was healthy, he was struggling for the Blue Jays. Add in that he’s a free agent after the season, and the Blue Jays need to replace Scherzer in both the short term and long term.

Gausman and Bieber are both free agents after the 2026 season, further making the need for a controllable starting pitcher the more apparent need for this team.

While rental options are easier to find, there are some intriguing multi-year starters the Blue Jays could target at the trade deadline.

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Toronto could look to add either Reid Detmers or Jose Soriano of the Los Angeles Angels, both of whom are under club control through the 2028 season.

Kansas City Royals starters Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo are also under control for a few seasons, and the 35-50 Royals are looking increasingly likely to sell this summer.

A cheaper option who has starting experience but is also under club control for another year would be San Francisco Giants pitcher Adrian Houser. He’s not nearly as appealing a trade target, but he could help as a cheap multi-year right-hander.

Toronto needs to find a way to address its long-term starting pitching need with Gausman, Scherzer, and Bieber hitting free agency after 2026, while Berrios and Ponce are likely still recovering from serious injuries.

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