Blue Jays swing for the fences and mend others in torrid MLB trade deadline remake — was it enough?

We take a closer look at Toronto's wheeling and dealing and wonder if this new edition just might be least as good as the one prior to the deadline, with the possibility of being better.

Published Aug 03, 2026  •  Last updated 2 hours ago  •  7 minute read

Toronto Blue Jays general Mmanager Ross Atkins.

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If you are a Major League Baseball general manager who has witnessed your team go from last to first and are in danger of plunging back to last again, you better be busy on trade deadline day.

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Apparently Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins was up to the task, a realistic and necessary approach to a team lacking in too many areas.

Not only were the Jays active in the hours leading up to Monday’s 6 p.m. MLB deadline, Atkins leaped back and forth from swinging for the fences to mending them, a hybrid buyer-seller approach that endeavoured to at least plug some of the holes.

Gone are impactful veterans Kevin Gausman, Daulton Varsho and Jeff Hoffman as well as young enticing prospect Arjun Nimmala.

Incoming are potential high-end starter Jose Soriano and another young starting arm, Spencer Arrighetti, as well as a wide variety of prospects.

Spared from deadline deals were veterans George Springer and Shane Bieber, a twosome who were thought to be prime trade bait but either couldn’t attract the appropriate haul from suitors or were kept around to give the team a semblance of remaining competitive.

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And with that, the Jays could exhale and prepare for the final 50 games of the season, beginning with Monday’s first of three against the Astros in Houston.

The bad news: The Blue Jays are still in last place in the AL East, began the night 4.5 games out of an AL wildcard spot and had six teams between them and that playoff position.

The good news: There’s an outside chance that the team that entered play on Monday was at least as good as the one prior to the deadline, with the possibility of being better.

The concerning news: The Jays were unable to address their biggest weakness by not doing anything to address their deplorable offence, one of the least productive in the majors.

Our first take from Atkins, in his post-deadline Zoom with reporters on Monday evening: “Obviously disappointed not to be adding to this group that we believe in and at the start of the season had you know so much great hope for,” Atkins said. “Would much prefer we were in a position to not be subtracting some of the great teammates and names that have been here and just have been adding to them.

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“Ultimately had to make the decision that we were determined to do the best for the organization and try to optimize things given a situation that was less than ideal.”

Time and future results will be arbitrate that. Our breakdown of the deals:

Jeff Hoffman of the Toronto Blue Jays exits his team’s game against the Los Angeles Angels during the ninth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on April 21, 2026 in Anaheim, Calif. Photo by Luke Hales /Getty Images

Jeff Hoffman to the Twins

This is the one that might resonate most with Jays fans, given the bombastic love-hate relationship with the failed closer, even if those raw emotions were harsh and unfair at times.

Hoffman, who was sent to the Twins for a trio of prospects, will unfortunately be forever remembered for surrendering the game-tying homer to the Dodgers’ Miguel Rojas in Game 7 of the World Series.

He was already cast as a villain for some earlier wobbles and then continued on that path early this season when he lost the closer’s job to Louis Varland.

As an aside, though, Hoffman was all class and a stand-up dude in answering to his miscues. And he has certainly shown in recent outings that he has the stuff to be an impact, late-in-games arm. He may be a huge addition for the Twins, one of the teams the Jays are trying to run down in their pursuit of a wildcard spot.

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The verdict: Despite his detractors, the Jays are losing an elite-leverage arm, who arguably has never been more effective than he is at present. His past month and change has been elite, his confidence at a high.

The tantalizing component of the return is left-handed pitcher Dasan Hill, who is listed as the Twins No. 7-ranked prospect on MLB Pipeline. The fireballing southpaw seems to be the jewel in the eyes of the Jays.

Atkins says: “This is not the situation we wanted to be in, where we’re parting ways with a Jeff Hoffman, if we weren’t able to get the return that we felt made the most sense. So it got across a line where we felt it made too much sense for the organization.”

Blue Jays’ Kevin Gausman reacts after striking out the side during the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the 2025 World Series at Rogers Centre on Oct.31, 2025 in Toronto. Photo by Emilee Chinn /Getty Images

Kevin Gausman to the Cubs

The heavy action got started on Sunday night when the Jays sent uber-popular starter Gausman to Chicago for a pair of mid-level prospects. The return won’t have an immediate impact on this season — and maybe never — but emotions aside, it was a deal that had to be made.

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The verdict: Getting something for Gausman was important given his pending free agency and given that the 35-year-old right hander wasn’t in the best form of his near five years with the team. That said, the 35-year-old right hander figures to be a help to the Cubs and their playoff push, a veteran voice that will play as well in the Windy City as it did in the Six.

Atkins says: “We obviously had to move on from some players that we have a ton of respect for and appreciation for. That was difficult to do, but we’re in a position to add players that can impact our major league team now and for years to come.”

José Soriano of the Los Angeles Angels pitches during the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on July 20, 2026 in Anaheim. Ross Turteltaub/Getty Images

Jose Soriano from the Angels

The Gausman swap made clearer sense midway through Monday morning when the Jays landed potential high-end right-hander Jose Soriano from the Los Angeles Angels.

The upside here is intriguing and potentially high, especially if the 27-year-old Soriano can flash the form he did early in the season for the Angels, including a brilliant start in which he was named the AL pitcher of the month for March/April.

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As we’ve seen in the past, the Jays have done well with promising young pitchers with team control, which the team has with Soriano over the next two years.

The verdict: The price was steep for a starter with both upside and a couple of remaining seasons of team control. The Jays had to give up one of their top prospects, infielder Arjun Nimmala, who was once touted as a future cornerstone of the franchise. That upside with Soriano is something to dream on, however, especially if he can take a step forward and find himself alongside Dylan Cease at the top of the rotation.

Atkins says: “What was so attractive is what he’s done,” Atkins said of Soriano. “He’s been incredible. He’s you know since his injuries and transitioning from the pin to a starter, the his stuff’s electric. He’s obviously competitive and throws the ball over at a good enough rate.”

On moving on from Nimmala: “That was the most difficult part of that trade. He’s been very good … the progress of other players in our system and some of the depth we have already was part of that.”

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Toronto Blue Jays’ Daulton Varsho catches a fly ball off the bat of Atlanta Braves’ Michael Harris II in the fourth inning of a baseball game on Sept. 6, 2024, in Atlanta. Photo by John Bazemore /AP

Daulton Varsho to the Astros

Like the Gausman deal, there is some sadness from both the fan base and within the Jays clubhouse given the popularity Varsho held with both constituencies.

There was also some shock factor associated with the Varsho predicament, given how much was expected of the gifted centre fielder with the possibility of power heading into his free agent season. But the 30-year-old never truly got on track in 2026 — despite a booming Grapefruit League season — and was thus expendable.

And what a day it was for the Wisconsin native, who showed up at Daikin Park as a member of the Jays and less than two hours before scheduled first pitch was participating in a press conference as a member of the Astros.

In return, the Jays get young right-handed starter Spencer Arrighetti, another arm under team control who has potential upside.

The verdict: Given that in current form, Varsho was a borderline liability and just two months away from free agency, getting a possible rotation piece was an overall win for the front office. In return, the 26-year-old right hander has a chance to step right into the rotation (once he exits the 15-day injured list) and possibly be a back-end candidate for a spot next season. It’s never easy to part ways with players who are popular in the clubhouse and who were such an important part of the 2025 chemistry, but Atkins mission was to salvage something from a diminished and expiring asset.

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Atkins says: “The fact that Jose Soriano and Spencer Arrighetti were available to us, very good fits in the demographic we were looking to add to this group. (It) worked out very well for us.”

Adam Macko of the Toronto Blue Jays reacts after pitching the final out of the sixth inning during his MLB debut against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Monday, May 18, 2026, in New York City. Photo by Ishika Samant /Getty Images

Adam Macko to Rangers

In the least sexy deal of the day, the Jays sent lefty reliever Adam Macko to the Texas Rangers for utility man Josh Smith, who hustled across the state to Texas and was activated for the Jays for Monday’s game against the Astros.

The verdict: Of lesser impact than the other trades involving higher-profile parties coming or going, the Jays felt comfortable moving on from Macko, who learned to play ball in Alberta and competed for Canada at this year’s World Baseball Classic. In Smith, they get the profile of a player Atkins loves: One who can play multiple positions. That he was activated immediately, suggests the Jays feel he can impact the team’s long-shot bid down the stretch.”

Atkins says: “If we were breaking ties, we wanted to acquire pitching because we do feel like we have a good position player group here and below,” the GM said when asked why Smith was the only big-league ready position player added at the deadline.  “So I feel like we’ve complemented them well.”

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