The Toronto Blue Jays made their first big splash of the trade deadline on Tuesday, acquiring Seranthony Domínguez from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for cash and 23-year-old RHP Juaron Watts-Brown, now the No. 8 prospect in the O's farm system at MLB Pipeline.
Jays getting Seranthony Dominguez and cash for Juaron Watts-Brown source tells me and @ShiDavidi
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) July 29, 2025
This was solid business for both teams. Domínguez is enjoying his best season since 2018, when he was a rookie, posting a 3.24 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in 41.2 innings. He will beef up a needy Blue Jays bullpen. This can't be the end of Ross Atkins' deadline dealing, however. Toronto is first in the AL East and has a clear path to the World Series. Now is the time to go for broke.
As such, here are a few more trades worth pursuing for the Toronto front office, addressing a variety of needs.
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3. RHP David Bednar, Pittsburgh Pirates
Domínguez is a solid depth piece, but he's not the late-relief buzzsaw Toronto presently lacks. Enter David Bednar, who is under contract through 2026 and in the midst of a return to form for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Last season was a bump in the road, but Bednar has been fantastic in 2025, posting a 2.37 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 51 strikeouts in 37.0 innings.
Still 30 years old, Bednar has plenty left in the tank. He has been stubbornly held off the trade market for years, but the Pirates are finally prepared to cut bait amidst yet another dour campaign. Pittsburgh needs hitting prospects to develop; the Blue Jays can plug Bednar into the closing role and expect ace-like production all the way through the playoffs.
Leaning heavily on a lively fastball while working in a split-finger and changeup, Bednar boasts a strikeout rate in the 95th percentile and a walk rate in the 77th percentile, per Baseball Savant. He commands the zone well and still touches the upper 90s when he dials up the velocity. In terms of impact and affordability, Bednar is one of the better options available at the deadline. He won't cost an arm and a leg like a few younger bullpen arms circling the rumor mill.
2. RHP Edward Cabrera, Miami Marlins
There are lots of quality starters available at the deadline, from expiring aces like Dylan Cease and Zac Gallen to more controllable weapons like Sandy Alcántara and Mitch Keller. In terms of long-term upside and price tag, few better options exist than Miami Marlins righty Edward Cabrera.
The Blue Jays will obviously need to make a decision on how thoroughly to deplete its farm system, but stacking a few major trades together is fully within the realm of possibility. Miami has exceeded expectations this season, but that is still a rebuilding team geared toward pinching pennies. Cabrera, 27, is under contract through 2027, but his name keeps coming up in trade rumors. Toronto should pounce.
After a few inconsistent and injury-plagued campaigns, Cabrera has been excellent for the Marlins all season. He has a 3.35 ERA and 1.23 WHIP with 96 strikeouts in 94.0 innings, oscillating effortlessly between five rock-solid pitches. His changeup and curveball are his calling cards, but Cabrera can generate playable contact with his sinker and touch the high 90s with his fastball. With room left to grow and three years of arbitration-rate bargains on the docket, this would be a huge get for the Jays behind veterans José Berríos and Kevin Gausman.
1. 3B Eugenio Suárez, Arizona Diamondbacks
Eugenio Suárez is widely considered the best trade chip on the marketplace. The Arizona Diamondbacks are ready to punt on a lost season and retool. Suárez, 34, is an expiring contract, but Toronto has the money to re-sign him. Even if it's just a rental, it's worth it for a team so close to winning a pennant.
Suárez plugs an .898 OPS and 36 home runs into the weakest link of Toronto's depth chart. He has his limitations with a high strikeout rate and a mediocre defensive profile, but Suárez is a bonafide masher who has made sustainable changes to his swing this season. The All-Star won't come cheap and Toronto will have to outbid a number of contenders, but stacking George Springer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Eugenio Suárez and Bo Bichette in the middle of the lineup would put Toronto in rarefied air.
This is the sort of swing the Blue Jays are always looking to take. Toronto made runs at Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto in free agency. They ponied up to extend Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Suárez is a tier below those guys, but he's a huge upgrade at their biggest position of need and he dramatically improves the Blue Jays' outlook in a winnable division.