The Blue Jays enter next week’s trade deadline as clear sellers, but virtually all of the focus thus far has been on the rental players they can offer to other teams. Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, relievers Yimi Garcia and Trevor Richards and catcher Danny Jansen are all free agents at season’s end and thus all candidates to change hands. Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith reports that Toronto hasn’t changed its stance on hoping to contend in 2025 and as such has not been shopping either Chris Bassitt (signed through 2025) or Kevin Gausman (through 2026).
As is the case with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette (both under club control through 2025), that pair of arms is generally expected to stay put. At least with regard to Bassitt, it’s mildly surprising that the Jays aren’t more strongly contemplating a trade.
The veteran righty is in year two of a three-year, $63M contract and pitching fairly well — but it’s also his age-35 campaign. He’ll pitch all of next year at 36. Generally, when teams sign a free agent to a multi-year deal, they’re more interested in the earlier seasons of the deal and consider the final year(s) to be the cost of doing business.
Toronto doesn’t have much pitching depth, so they’d need to replace Bassitt either via free agency or trade, but one would think that next year’s $21M salary could be reallocated to a younger arm. Beyond that, Bassitt could of course net the Jays some young talent as well. Bassitt, who’s pitching as t.