Can a Former Padres RHP Help the 2026 Blue Jays Get to the Postseason?
Just under 48 hours after the MLB trade deadline, the Blue Jays acquired Matt Waldron off waivers from the Padres. He was DFA’d by his former team last week, which allowed Toronto to claim him regardless of the deadline. The team made room by transferring LHP Patrick Corbin to the 60-day IL for his left teres major strain. Corbin was a solid part of the starting rotation before he was moved to the bullpen, but it’s not his shoes Waldron will have to fill.
Long-time Blue Jay Kevin Gausman was traded to the Cubs as a repercussion of the underwhelming season so far. Despite being a two-time all-star, the 35-year-old currently has a 4.38 ERA and a .333 win-loss percentage. While Toronto did end up both buying and selling, somebody had to go, and Gausman’s 2026 performance wasn’t doing him any favors. However, Waldron’s ERA is sitting at 7.16, so can he really be much better?
In the 10 games the 29-year-old pitched for San Diego in 2026, he only started three. Unfortunately, he did begin the year on the IL due to surgery in February and a forearm strain in mid-May. Before the May injury, the righty started three games in April and recorded over 80 pitches in each. His pitch count declined up to his IL stint, but his ERA continued to improve. While a 7.18 ERA is high, the Nebraska native cut his original ERA of 14.73 in half. In the four games since his return on July 11th, only four earned runs were scored.
While this performance wasn’t up to the Padres’ standards, Toronto must have noticed the improvement. They’ve dealt with overcoming pitching injuries this entire season, so if anyone has the patience to wait until Waldron gets to 100%, it’s them. Another tool of the 29-year-old’s that may have appealed to the Jays was his knuckleball. While the former Padre may start from time to time, he’ll likely spend most of the time in the bullpen along with other unique pitchers like submariner Tyler Rogers and knucklecurve-thrower Louis Varland. Those two are often overworked and therefore occasionally unavailable when the team needs them. Having one more reliever to trust in late innings will make them less vulnerable in those moments.
The club likely acquired José Soriano from the Angels and Jameson Taillon from the Cubs to fill starting spots. However, their bullpen has had to cover many games due to injuries, so any pitcher who can go multiple innings is gold to them. Most recently, Trey Yesavage, who started 2026 on the IL, is back on it for new left knee discomfort. Therefore, the newest Jay may get a start sooner than anticipated. If the injuries of Max Scherzer, Shane Bieber, or Dylan Cease act up as well, the bullpen won’t just have to rely on Spencer Miles to throw multiple innings. Toronto needed the comfort of more pitchers to fall back on, and Waldron might give them the confidence to snag that AL Wild Card spot.
