With the Toronto Blue Jays heading towards an inevitable rebuild, many of the veterans on the squad could see their time in Canada come to an end.
The fans knew this was bound to happen to the Toronto Blue Jays.
With the team becoming younger and the playoff dreams of 2016 far behind them, the Blue Jays are looking towards the future.
Now comes the big question: who stays as part of that future?
The first big names are Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez.
Stroman has been dominant this season, and with the Blue Jays front office and the 5’7 right-hander not discussing long term deals, it feels like this relationship will be ending soon.
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This would be a real heartbreaker to the fans, as Marcus has been very vocal about his love for Toronto and with many of the veterans already being moved, he is one of the last ‘fan favorites’ still kicking around.
Sanchez has had another rough year due to injuries and some shaky starts. He would command little to no value in a trade. His future may end up in the bullpen if he can’t figure out the next few steps. He will probably stay.
Both players are very intriguing in that they would be around for two years before free agency, not just one.
The next big name on the trading block is closer Ken Giles.
He too is having a very strong year, and teams looking to bolster their bullpens for the playoffs should come calling for his services. Look for some injured teams to get a bit desperate for some fire in the later innings and overpay for Giles.
He too will most likely not be a Blue Jay when September ends.
Now we look at the infield, with multiple players being listed as potential trade candidates.
With the recent demotion of Rowdy Tellez, first baseman Justin Smoak will most likely be with the club until the end of the year. His trade value is good, but not overpowering, and there is the potential that the Toronto Blue Jays hang on to this veteran for the rebuild.
His contract expires this year and the Jays could lose him to free agency but are most likely willing to gamble on him returning.
With Eric Sogard having a career year and Freddy Galvis being very dependable up the middle, these two infielders could easily be traded for bench depth to a playoff hungry competitor.
Sogard has been excellent in the leadoff spot, and Galvis has been playing consistently well both in the field and at the plate. On a normal basis, these two would be stay, but with the rebuild looming, look for both players to be packing their bags shortly.
Don’t look for any outfielders to make any moves when the deadline gets here.
Rebuilds are never a fun process.
Fan favorites get sent packing and an organization gambles all their chips on young prospects to make or break the team.
Let’s just hope we don’t see a Miami Marlins 2.0 in Canada.