Blue Jays should be busy, but mainstays unlikely to be moved at trade deadline

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Six games remain for the Toronto Blue Jays before what will likely be a very different looking lineup takes the field a week from now at the conclusion of the trade deadline.

While the exits will likely include a number of familiar faces, they won’t be the ones most Jays fans consider members of the team’s foundation.

So, yes, while all those on contracts that expire at the end of this season — including Yusei Kikuchi, Yimi Garcia, Kevin Kiermaier, Justin Turner, Danny Jansen, Trevor Richards — could well be in new uniforms come Aug. 1, the more franchise-altering moves aren’t expected to be made at this time.

Published reports have the likes of the currently injured Bo Bichette, the currently red-hot Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and rotation mainstays Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios and even Chris Bassitt not among the group the Jays are actively peddling in advance of the July 30 trade deadline.

What it means is a ton of uncertainty within a clubhouse that is already dealing with an under-performing season.

Guerrero has gone out of his way to let his wishes to remain a Blue Jay be known, though an extension on his current deal still remains something people are only talking about.

Bichette, on the other hand, has done more to fan rumours of his eventual departure than stamp them out.

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A recent suggestion from U.S. baseball writer Bob Nightengale suggesting Bichette has told friends he “would welcome a trade” has further stirred the pot.

Whether Bichette is looking to move on from Toronto or not, the fact remains that he is injured, suffering yet another calf strain that has landed him on the disabled list in a season that has already included two trips to that list for the same reason.

As helpful as a healthy Bichette could be to any potential contender, the fact that he is again out for a few more weeks makes him less desirable for any team looking to bolster its roster for a playoff run this season.

Still, rumours persist that both the Dodgers and Yankees (who would move him over to third) could be interested.

So, you can somewhat confidently strike him from any list of potential Jays on the move at this time. But don’t rule out an off-season trade assuming all of the chatter from Bichette himself in fact does reflect his wishes to move on.

The Jays, though, should still be busy divesting themselves of any remaining money on expiring deals.

The question at that point becomes what the organization can expect in return. It’s probably best and easiest to put the list of such Jays in tiers.

Start with Kikuchi and Garcia in the first tier. Both are having solid campaigns and would immediately help a contender, with Kikuchi able to slot in anywhere from third to fifth on most MLB starting staffs and Garcia a reliable arm out of the bullpen, again assuming his earlier health issues this season are a thing of the past.

The potential prospects those players could bring to Toronto won’t be another team’s No. 1 types, but they will be guys with a decent chance of having a major-league career.

The next tier would be guys such as Jansen and Richards and even Turner in the right situation.

Like that first tier, this group could help a contender, but would have more limited appeal given position and track record.

Turner, for instance, might have value to a Red Sox team as a veteran bat capable of playing some first base but primarily a reliable bat. The Bosox don’t have a lot of veteran hitting after Rafael Devers and he’s already proven to be popular among their  fans.

The final tier would include guys like Kiermaier, who come with a specific skill set and, unfortunately for him, a rather hefty price tag.

Any manager looking to make a run would love to have at his disposal Kiermaier’s ability to cover huge areas of any outfield, but in this case, it would be strictly a short-term relationship and then there would be question of matching the cost of the player to the potential return.

Kiermaier probably further muddied the waters on that front on Tuesday when he told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times that 2024 would be the final year of his career.

“This is it, 2024 is it for me,” Kiermaier told the Times before Wednesday’s game in Toronto against the Rays. “This next week will be very interesting (in terms of a potential trade). But this will be my last year playing.

“I’m going to give it my all the rest of the year regardless of what situation I’m in. But my body is talking to me now more than ever.”

Kiermaier told the Times it’s time for him to be a dad to his two kids with another on the way.

Whether the revelation of his impending retirement impacts how teams view him will be determined over the next few days.

But any way you slice it, trade deadline day in Toronto should be a busy one.

mganter@postmedia.com