MLB Trade Rumors: Blue Jays Would Land Starter & Closer in Proposed Blockbuster

The Toronto Blue Jays can use a legit starting pitcher and a high-leverage bullpen piece. So which one do they go after more aggressively? One recent blockbuster proposal sees the Jays doing some one-stop shopping with the Pittsburgh Pirates and getting both.

Jim Riley of Ballcap Sports has put a massive suggested deal on the table that would land Toronto help at both ends of their pitching staff, securing starter Mitch Keller and closer David Bednar. The proposed deal would look like this:

Toronto Blue Jays receive:

Mitch Keller, SP
David Bednar, RP

Pittsburgh Pirates receive:

Ricky Tiedemann, SP (Jays #4 prospect)
Josh Kesevich, SS (Jays #6 prospect)
Fernando Perez, RHP (Jays #10 prospect)
Leo Jimenez, SS
Will Wagner, INF

The Blue Jays would get a very solid starter in Keller, with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP in a league-leading 20 starts this season. The 29-year-old is in his prime, and has three more years of team control with a contract that pays him an AAV of $18 million over that span.

Could Blue Jays land closer David Bednar?

In Bednar, they would receive a legit closer, whose performance this season has been more consistent over the past couple of months than current closer Jeff Hoffman's. Bednar hasn't given up an earned run since May, and is in the 96th percentile in strikeout rate, with 12.7 K/9, with 13 saves and a 2.53 ERA.

But in return, it's a huge haul for the Pirates, getting three of the Jays' Top-10 prospects.

Tiedemann, the former top prospect in the Toronto system, is recovering from the Tommy John surgery he underwent a year ago, and should be ready for some minor league outings before the end of this year, in plenty of time to be all-systems-go for the start of the 2026 season.

In Jimenez and Wagner, the Bucs would also get two MLB-ready youngsters, who've each gotten some games under their belt in The Show.

It would be a massive deal for both sides, but right now it's just a hypothetical.