This Toronto Blue Jays Trade Piece is Expected to Bring a "Significant" Return

According to MLB Insider Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Toronto Blue Jays will be sellers at trade deadline, and this pitcher could bring the biggest return.

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi (16) delivers a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park on July 9. / Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

According to MLB Insider Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Toronto Blue Jays will be looking to sell at the upcoming trade deadline.

Nightengale says they will not trade superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Bo Bichette, but that they will conceivably be willing to trade any one that's on a short term deal, including pitcher Yusei Kikuchi.

Per Nightengale:

The free-falling Blue Jays will soon start their firesale, while keeping Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but rival GMs say the only player who will bring in a significant return is starter Yusei Kikuchi. The Blue Jays’ bright future suddenly looks quite murky.

Given that Kikuchi is a free agent at the end of the year, this makes sense on multiple fronts. For the Jays, trading him ensures that they get something value rather than just losing him in free agency at the end of the year. For the acquiring team, they aren't saddled with a multi-year commitment or multi-year salary for a player who has had an uneven big league career.

Usually a "rental player," doesn't yield a massive return, but with so many team's looking for pitching, obviously Nightengale feels like that trend will be bucked.

The 33-year-old native of Japan features an electric fastball and some wipeout breaking stuff, leading him to post 111 strikeouts in 101.1 innings this year. He's 4-8 with a 4.00 ERA in total. This is his sixth big league season with the Seattle Mariners and Blue Jays. He was named an All-Star with Seattle in the 2021 season. Lifetime, he's 36-45.

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.