1 lightweight, 1 middleweight, and 1 heavyweight Blue Jays trade target for 2026

As we ring in the new year, the Toronto Blue Jays and their fans can celebrate the impressive offseason that they put together to date. Adding key contending pieces such as Tyler Rogers, Cody Ponce and most notably Dylan Cease through free agency has significantly bolstered the Blue Jays chances of winning it all in 2026. 

However, the Blue Jays should not stop there with another three months to go before the regular season begins. They have done most of their work in the free agent market so far, but the trade route could also be a plausible option to help further improve the team. Let's take a look at one lightweight, one middleweight and one heavyweight trade target in which the Blue Jays could pursue in 2026.

1 lightweight, 1 middleweight, and 1 heavyweight Blue Jays trade target entering the new year 

RP JoJo Romero (lightweight trade target)

Last season, one of the main flaws in the Blue Jays pitching staff was that they were prone to the long ball. In fact, the 209 home runs that they gave up ranked them sixth worst in the entire league. It also didn’t help that their closer Jeff Hoffman was second in the MLB among relievers in home runs given up during the regular season with 15, as well as yielding one during the postseason at the most inopportune time.

That's why the Blue Jays should pursue St. Louis Cardinals reliever JoJo Romero. Romero is coming off a stellar 2025 campaign in which he posted a 2.07 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, along with 55 strikeouts in 61 total innings pitched over 65 relief appearances. Not only that, he was among the best relievers in the league with an 0.8% home run given up rate, yielding only two long balls all season. 

In addition, Romero even gained some experience as a closer down the stretch for the Cardinals in 2025 after Ryan Helsley was dealt at the trade deadline. In that role, the 29-year-old left-hander compiled eight saves, along with a strong 2.10 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 25.2 innings pitched during the final two months of the season. Therefore, Romero would provide some much-needed insurance for the Blue Jays’ closing role if Hoffman were to falter again at some point in 2026.

UTIL Brendan Donovan (middleweight trade target)

With the uncertainty of whether or not Bo Bichette will be returning to the Blue Jays, a viable replacement in the infield is versatile utilityman Brendan Donovan of the Cardinals. Donovan was a first-time All-Star in 2025 where he batted a solid .287 with a .775 OPS, with 64 runs scored, 32 doubles, 10 home runs and 50 RBIs in 118 games played with St. Louis.

He may not put up offensive numbers at the same level as Bichette, but he should have the ability to consistently put up double-digit home runs and 60-70 RBIs while batting close to .300 on a yearly basis over a full schedule. 

More importantly, Donovan has shown that he could play at multiple positions effectively over his four-year career. In fact, in his rookie season in 2022, he had defensive reps in all positions other than catcher and center field, while capturing Gold Glove honours as a utilityman in the process.

With the Blue Jays being fond of players with positional versatility to enable roster flexibility on a daily basis, Donovan would be a perfect fit in the Blue Jays lineup. In addition, the Boston Red Sox are believed to be in hot pursuit (subscription required) of the 28-year-old utilityman according to Will Sammon and Katie Woo of The Athletic. So to be able to keep him away from a division rival by grabbing him instead would be a big win for the Blue Jays.

RP Mason Miller (heavyweight trade target)

Finally, to put the Blue Jays over the top, sometimes you just have to go all-in to make it happen. Toronto can do so if they choose to target electric closer Mason Miller of the San Diego Padres in the trade market. Without question Miller has been one of the top relievers in all of baseball during the past two seasons. With a fastball that could constantly hit triple digits, mixed in with a devastating slider, he has the ability to blow hitters away at ease with the strikeout on a daily basis.

In fact, Miller was literally unhittable down the stretch for the Padres in 2025 following the trade deadline, posting a stellar 0.77 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, giving up just two earned runs on seven hits with a whopping 45 strikeouts in just 23.1 innings pitched.

Adding an elite pitcher of Miller’s caliber would instantly give the Blue Jays their best ever lockdown closer since the Tom Henke/Duane Ward era, and he could perhaps become the best closer of all time for the franchise when all is said and done. But there’s a reason why the 27-year-old fireballer falls in this heavyweight category; in order to get Miller, the Blue Jays will likely need to take a huge hit with their prospect capital to get it done.

San Diego could be asking for promising top pieces such as Arjun Nimmala, Ricky Tiedemann, or JoJo Parker among others. But if Miller ends up being the difference maker to help lead Toronto to a World Series title or two in the end, it is a sacrifice that’s worth making.