By Kaitlyn McGrathDec 1, 2023
As the baseball industry continues to await word on where Shohei Ohtani will decide to sign, any major movement in free agency or trades appears as though it will remain at a standstill.
Presumably, when Ohtani inks his record-breaking deal, it’ll create a seismic shift across the league. The chosen team will have acquired perhaps the single most transformative player of this century while the other teams will have to pivot to Plans B, C or D.
We don’t know which side of the equation the Blue Jays will land on, but we do know that the club has holes to fill on their roster and, should they not be able to do so via free agency, the trade route remains a viable one.
Days ahead of the start of baseball’s annual Winter Meetings, let’s look at a few trade targets that could fit in Toronto.
San Diego Padres
Juan Soto, LF
Juan Soto is the biggest trade chip available this offseason and, as The Athletic’s Dennis Lin explained thoroughly, it’s likely in the Padres’ best interests to move Soto for myriad reasons. And, well, Soto is a perfect fit for the Blue Jays, who need a left fielder and someone who gives them an offensive lift from the left side of the plate. Not to mention, Soto would give the Blue Jays three of the best young players in the game right now alongside Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. Think of the marketing opportunities.
Soto has one of the best approaches in the game. He sports a career .421 on-base percentage and has never posted a year-ending OPS lower than .853. Defensively, Soto grades out negatively in Defensive Runs Saved, but he’s not a liability by any means and will likely be helped by playing next to Daulton Varsho, one of the game’s best defensive outfielders, in centre field.
Soto would cost a lot in both salary taken on — he’s projected to make $33 million in arbitration, via MLB Trade Rumors — and acquisition cost. Lin wrote the Padres’ most logical route would be “exchanging the outfielder for multiple big-league-ready players.” That being the case, the Blue Jays may have to trade two to four players, potentially including top pitching prospect Ricky Tiedemann, who is on the cusp of the majors.
Minnesota Twins
Max Kepler, RFJorge Polanco, 2B/3B
The Twins are cutting payroll so that means some of their highest-paid veterans are going to be shopped. That could include infielder Jorge Polanco, their longest-tenured player, and outfielder Max Kepler. The Twins exercised their options on both players — $10.5 million for Polanco and $10 million for Kepler — after both put together strong second halves of the 2023 season. But the Twins would likely be willing to move either or both for the right price.
Polanco can capably handle both second and third base, filling a need for the Blue Jays defensively next season. There are risks, however, namely his spotty recent health. The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman noted, “Polanco has been on the injured list five times since mid-2022 and needed surgeries in three of the past four offseasons.” Still, he hit .258/.361/.456 in 50 games in the second half in 2023 and as a switch hitter, he would give the Blue Jays lineup some diversity.
Kepler, too, finished the 2023 season strong, slashing .306/.377/.549 in 66 second-half games. Overall, he posted a 121 OPS+ and 24 home runs, though it should be noted for his career, he’s been closer to a slightly above-average offensive player (104 OPS+). Kepler has primarily been a right fielder in the majors, a position currently occupied by George Springer, but Kepler has played left field in the minors.
The Reds’ crowded infield could make Jonathan India expendable. (Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)Cincinnati Reds
Jonathan India, 2B
The Reds have a surplus of young talent that could leave Jonathan India as the odd man out in their infield, meaning he’s a prime trade candidate who could benefit from an opportunity elsewhere.
Winner of the NL’s Rookie of the Year award in 2021, India has dealt with injuries the past two seasons, but still managed to be a league-average hitter in 2023, slashing .244/.338/.407 in 119 games with a 100 OPS+. He’s also a reasonably disciplined hitter and had better-than-average strikeout (20.6 percent) and walk (9.8 percent) rates this past season. He’ll be 27 next season, so he’s young enough that a bounce-back is entirely possible. His defence has declined in recent seasons, but The Athletic’s Jim Bowden noted that “most analysts believe that has more to do with injuries than his ability.” He’s arbitration-eligible this offseason — projected to make $3.7 million — and has three more seasons of team control. While the Reds may be motivated to trade him, he’ll likely come at the cost of multiple prospects or MLB-ready players.
Chicago White Sox
Eloy Jiménez, LF/DH
The White Sox are reportedly prepared to listen to offers on just about anyone on their roster, including Eloy Jiménez, who was viewed as a franchise pillar when he was signed to a six-year, $43 million deal before making his MLB debut.
Jimenez has hit .275/.324/.487 with a 118 OPS+ over his five seasons in Chicago, though this past season he produced a somewhat lacklustre 104 OPS+. Injuries have limited him to just 436 games during that stretch, however, and the White Sox used him as a DH the most they ever had in 2023 as a way to keep him in the lineup.
Health, then, would be a concern, but the Blue Jays could use him as more of a DH than left fielder, as well. He’s set to make $13.8 million in 2024 and has club options for 2025 and 2026 valued at $16.5 million and $18.5 million (with $3 million buyouts), respectively, making him fairly affordable for the type of production he can put up. Naturally, that’ll also make the acquisition cost high as the White Sox seek to retool.
New York Mets
Pete Alonso, 1B
Pete Alonso is a year away from free agency and while the Mets may be interested in trying to extend the slugger, they’ll surely entertain trade proposals, as well.
Alonso has hit 86 home runs over the past two seasons, the fourth-most in the majors in that span. Alonso can change a game with one swing and would give the Blue Jays the type of consistent damage potential they were lacking in 2023.
The defensive fit isn’t as smooth. Guerrero is the Blue Jays starting first baseman, so trading for Alonso would likely mean splitting time for each at first base and DH. Alonso comes with only a year of control, but the acquisition cost would still be quite high for a Mets team looking to load up for 2025 and beyond.
Los Angeles Angels
Mike Trout, CF
This one is the half-court shot attempt of trade candidates. It’s not as though the Angels are advertising the possibility of trading Mike Trout, but should they lose out on re-signing Ohtani (which is very much possible), the club might have to seriously consider a competitive pivot. That might include offloading Trout and the $259 million he’s owed over the next seven seasons.
The 11-time All-Star would be a transformative bat for the Blue Jays, making the top of their lineup among the most potent in the game. Trout is still a capable centre fielder, but if the Blue Jays prefer Varsho there, Trout can slide to left field. Health is a concern, as the 32-year-old has played in just 237 games over the past three seasons. He hasn’t played 140 games or more in a season since 2018.
Taking on his remaining contract would be significant, and paying Trout through his age-36-38 seasons might look daunting now, but if Trout helped the Blue Jays maximize their current two-year competitive window, paying him into his potentially declining years would be a fair tradeoff. That said, Trout has a full no-trade clause so a move remains in his control, but maybe a career 1.076 OPS at the Rogers Centre could entice him.
St. Louis Cardinals
Tyler O’Neill, LFDylan Carlson, OF
The Cardinals have been busy rebuilding their rotation this winter via free agency but their work is not done and, as The Athletic’s Katie Woo reported, the team could still add another starter via trade. The Cardinals and Blue Jays linked up on three trades last season so recent history suggests there’s a healthy dialogue between the two clubs.
O’Neill has dealt with a series of injuries the past two seasons and hasn’t matched the heights of his 2021 season, when he hit 34 home runs and posted a 148 OPS+. He’s still a strong defender in left field and might benefit from a change of scenery. And, bonus, he’s Canadian. He’s a year away from free agency so the cost to acquire O’Neill would be less than, say, his teammate Dylan Carlson, who has three years of team control remaining. In three seasons, Carlson has been a league-average bat (99 OPS+) with good defensive versatility in the outfield. He’s young, so betting on further development is possible, though perhaps it’s still in the Blue Jays’ best interest to seek out a more established corner outfielder.
