The Toronto Blue Jays are not expected to target a superstar starting pitcher. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale recently claimed that Toronto was one of a handful of teams to be interested in a trade involving Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. The reporter asserted that the Blue Jays would be willing to give up “prized prospects” to acquire the star.
Nevertheless, ESPN’s Buster Olney has since poured cold water on the notion. The veteran reporter appeared on First Up 1050 on May 25 to discuss the Blue Jays. In the radio interview, Olney predicted that Toronto would resist trading for Skubal because of the cost. While he is the best starting pitcher in the American League, Skubal is viewed as a rental. He will be an unrestricted free agent following the 2026 season.
Olney believes that the Blue Jays, particularly team president Mark Shapiro, will be gun-shy due to a previous mega trade. According to the reporter, Shapiro was “not comfortable” with former general manager Alex Anthopoulos acquiring David Price in 2015. Toronto swapped three pitchers, including Chicago Cubs ace Matt Boyd, for the star. Although Price went 9-1 with a 2.30 ERA with the Blue Jays, he ultimately left to join the Boston Red Sox in free agency.
“[Shapiro] thought that was kind of folly. A lot of general managers don’t like paying high prices for rentals,” continued Olney.
Tarik Skubal Could be too Costly for the Toronto Blue Jays
GettyThe Blue Jays would have to give up a ton to acquire Tarik Skubal.
On top of not wanting to overpay, the Toronto Blue Jays may not even truly need another starting pitcher. As Olney puts it, the club (if healthy) already has three top-of-the-line starters. “I’ve got to say the sober move for the Blue Jays this year would be to bypass Tarik Skubal because it’s going to be really expensive,” claimed Olney.
“If you’re the Blue Jays and you get your starters back healthy and you have a [Dylan] Cease, you have a Kevin Gausman, you have a Trey Yesavage. Starting pitching is not necessarily your big need. You want to sacrifice a ton for a two-month rental, three-month rental? That doesn’t seem to be Mark’s style.”
Cease recently left a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 24 early due to injury concerns. Nevertheless, Blue Jays manager John Schneider claimed that the ace should be fine moving forward. Yesavage previously missed the start of the 2026 season due to shoulder discomfort. The top prospect, however, has since returned to the rotation to post an impressive 1.07 ERA in five starts.
Toronto’s Rotation is Starting to Get Healthier
Overall, the Toronto Blue Jays’ starting rotation has posted a combined 3.81 ERA during the current campaign. This is currently the eighth-best figure among all Major League Baseball teams. Gausman, Cease, and Yesavage would be one of the best top one-two-three punch in baseball come playoff time.
Toronto will also have future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer back in the near future. Scherzer has been out of action since April 24, but recently threw a 30-pitch bullpen session. Fellow veteran Shane Bieber is working his way back to the mound as well. Bieber is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment on May 25 in Florida. Assuming things go well, Bieber should make his season debut for Toronto in June.
Blue Jays Receive Bad News in Pursuit of Starting Pitcher