Is It Time For The Blue Jays To Make Some Trades?

[Sam Charles]

Good deals aren't always easy to come by in Major League Baseball. Free agent signings don't always work out. It can take years to determine if one team bettered the other in a trade, and sometimes there’s no winner.

The Blue Jays don’t seem to be done with their offseason activities. In search of good deals, they appear to be in the conversation with and for everyone.

On their radar are free agents like Kyle Tucker, Robert Suarez, and Bo Bichette, and trade targets like Ketel Marte. They have been doing their due diligence throughout the market.

Free agents are one thing – money talks – but trades are another. The Jays have shown a willingness to spend when the fit is right. But trades are something entirely. To acquire talent via trade, the Jays must be willing to part with something of value as well. Even if they are interested in certain available players, who could they offer in return?

If you think about the 40-man roster and beyond, the pieces that Jays fans might consider expendable won’t necessarily fetch a big return. There are some exciting prospects in the system, but if traded, the Jays would hamper their ability to sustain success in the long term.

This balancing act could define the offseason. GM Ross Atkins must weigh immediate needs and chemistry with future stability. Do the Jays mortgage tomorrow for a shot at glory today, or do they hold firm, trusting their farm system to deliver reinforcements in the years ahead?

Another path the Jays could consider is trading from their major league roster. 

 

Could they trade Anthony Santander?

Santander is entering year two of his five-year $92.5 million deal (of which $61.75 million is deferred). There’s also a sixth-year team option. If the Jays could manage a deal, it would reduce the logjam in the outfield and at DH.

Yet, after an injury-plagued season, his value on the market can’t be high, especially considering his contract. The Jays would likely need to absorb salary or package him with prospects to entice a buyer.  

What about José Berríos?

Berríos has an opt-out after the 2026 season, but based on his recent body of work, he isn’t likely to exercise it. He has three years and $67 million remaining on his seven-year contract. His departure would unclutter the starting rotation, but at what cost?

As with Santander, the Jays would likely have to eat a significant portion of Berríos's salary or package him with prospects to bring back a meaningful return.

Moreover, Berríos has been a stabilizing force, a pitcher capable of eating innings and delivering quality starts. Removing him from the equation would leave a significant hole. Clearly, he wasn't happy with the way his role evolved last season. Can the relationship be salvaged? The Jays must also ask themselves: Is any potential return worth the risk of destabilizing their pitching staff?

Fan favourites like Ernie Clement, Addison Barger, Davis Schneider, Myles Straw, Nathan Lukes, and Jeff Hoffman won't be nearly as sought-after as the top prospects in the Jays’ system. These players are valuable within the organization because they provide depth, versatility, leadership, and clubhouse chemistry, but they are not the kind of assets that move the needle in blockbuster negotiations. To land a star, Toronto must consider bigger chips.

It is highly unlikely that the Jays would trade Trey Yesavage, but it's not inconceivable to think they could consider a trade that includes Kevin Gausman, especially with Dylan Cease under contract. Gausman is entering the final year of a five-year, $110 million deal. His value lies not only in his performance but also in his contract, which could appeal to teams seeking short‑term pitching help without long‑term financial commitments. Of course, you’d have to think that such a deal would need to be lopsided in favour of the Jays for them to consider it at all.

Obviously, there are examples of the Jays making blockbuster trades in the past... Mind you, when they were under different leadership.

In 1990, the Jays acquired Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter from the Padres for Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez. They would eventually lead the team to two World Championships. In 2012, the Jays made a trade with the Mets for R.A. Dickey in exchange for Noah Syndergaard and Travis d’Arnaud. And in 2014, the Jays swapped Brett Lawrie, Sean Nolin, Kendall Graveman and Franklin Barreto for Josh Donaldson.

Syndergaard and d’Arnaud were top prospects in the Jays’ system when they were traded. It all comes back to prospects.

Former general manager Alex Anthopolous was criticized by some for trades that emptied out the farm system. Since Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins have been in their roles, the franchise has been slowly building the system back up. Yesavage would be a good example, albeit a rare one, of a draft pick who has made an immediate impact.

There is no question that several of Toronto's top prospects would be of interest to other teams.

The Jays’ farm system boasts some exciting names. Players who could be part of the next wave of stars. Trading them might yield immediate help, but at the expense of long‑term sustainability. The Jays must decide which prospects are truly untouchable and which can be leveraged to acquire established talent.

Scouting, analytics, and gut instinct converge when it comes to prospects. A prospect’s value is not just in their potential but in how the organization projects their fit on rosters down the line. Do they address a future need? Do they align with the team’s timeline? These questions shape the calculus of every trade discussion.

As the offseason unfolds, the Jays will continue to face tough decisions. Their willingness to explore every option is exciting, but they need to be decisive when it comes time to pull the trigger. The path to contention is narrow, requiring precision, patience, and courage. Whether through free agency or trades, the Jays must craft a roster that balances immediate competitiveness with long‑term viability. Outside of that equation, the team needs to ensure that the chemistry inside the clubhouse remains strong.

Every move (and non-move) in the offseason is a gamble. Some pay off, others backfire, and many linger in ambiguity. For the Jays, this offseason feels like a particularly defining moment. The choices they make now will reverberate for years, shaping the franchise. The question is not whether the Jays will make moves, but it is whether those moves will propel them to a World Series championship.

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