Back at the trade deadline, the Toronto Blue Jays were looking for some key players that could be difference makers for them down the stretch and especially in MLB Playoffs. The Blue Jays ended up doing well in the pitching department, with starter Shane Bieber delivering when the team needed him most and reliever Louis Varland becoming a trusted arm to come in for key high-leverage situations.
However, they came up a little short with respect to adding a power bat to the lineup. Ty France was the main hitter added to the roster, but he hasn’t even been on the postseason roster to date. There were two potential trade targets that the Blue Jays had a shot at acquiring at the deadline, but it never panned out.
It just so happens that the nightmare scenario Jays Journal predicted in July is coming to fruition as those two players happen to be playing for the Seattle Mariners and have been an absolute force in helping the club to their current 3-2 lead in the ALCS over Toronto. The impactful duo is none other than Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez.
Blue Jays trade targets make Toronto regret not dealing for them at deadline in ALCS
There was always a sentiment to bring Naylor to town because after all, as a Mississauga native, he would have been a great feel-good story coming home to Canada to help the Blue Jays on their postseason run. But instead, he landed with the Mariners at the deadline and is now wreaking havoc on his hometown team.
Naylor may have struggled a bit during the ALDS against the Detroit Tigers. But he has raised his game and has been doing a lot of hurt against Toronto in the ALCS. In five games to date facing the Blue Jays, Naylor is batting a stellar .412 with a 1.238 OPS, along with three runs scored, one stolen base, two home runs and three RBIs. In the process, he also became the first Canadian ever to homer against Toronto in the postseason.
“It’s kind of like a little kid moment for me right now. It’s been super fun to play in front of my friends & family and play in this ballpark.” – Josh Naylor 🇨🇦#SeizeTheMoment | @Mariners | @jonmorosi pic.twitter.com/pPiM2eobc0
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 14, 2025
As for Suárez, he was actually one of the top offensive producers in MLB this season with 49 home runs and 118 RBIs split between the Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks. Despite seeing a drop in batting average and OPS since coming over to Seattle, the 34-year-old slugger has still come through for the club in key moments with one swing of the bat.
Suárez did exactly that for the Mariners in the pivotal Game 5 of the ALCS. Despite not doing much in the series up until that point, the star third baseman came up huge on Friday with two home runs, including the game-winning grand slam in the eighth inning to give the Mariners a leg up in the series.
EUGENIO SUÁREZ CONNECTS AGAIN IN GRAND FASHION 🤯
WHAT A GAME IN SEATTLE 🔥 pic.twitter.com/9BQVmonoum
— MLB (@MLB) October 18, 2025
With that, Suárez is now batting a solid .316 with a 1.065 OPS, together with three runs scored, two home runs and six RBIs in five games in the ALCS.
The Blue Jays have had their offensive moments during the current MLB Playoffs, with the quick dismantling of the New York Yankees in the ALDS and in Games 3 and 4 of the ALCS against the Mariners. But the most important part is to have key impact players coming through in the closest and most critical matchups like in Game 5 of the ALCS.
The Blue Jays had the opportunity to have one, or both, Naylor and Suárez do such damage for the team had they been more proactive at the trade deadline. Instead, they can now only watch the dynamic duo do their part in becoming game-changers to put the Blue Jays on the brink of elimination of this year’s postseason.
