Report: Blue Jays expected to deal Marcus Stroman by deadline

The MLB trade market is expected to be heavy on starting pitchers, and one of the best who is clearly available is currently with the Toronto Blue Jays.

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, multiple executives expect the Blue Jays to deal pitcher Marcus Stroman before the July 31 trade deadline. Stroman is signed through 2020, which means Toronto will likely demand enough value to cover a year and a half of pitching, plus a compensatory pick they’d receive for him if they lost him via free agency.

Stroman was a first-time All-Star in 2019 and has posted a 3.25 ERA, and has driven his value higher than ever. The Blue Jays could even package him with reliever Ken Giles in a major trade, but this appears fairly unlikely.