Justin Smoak
There haven’t been rumors of a potential trade involving 2017 All-Star Justin Smoak but he seems like a strong candidate to be moved this winter. He’s been one of the best, if not the best first baseman in the American League for the past two seasons. He’s also set to earn just $8 million in a 2019 club option which will undoubtedly be exercised and considering his production in the last two seasons, it is a very cheap contract that could be appealing for a contending club next season looking for a middle of the order bat.
It’s yet to be seen if the Blue Jays try to contend in 2019, as of now, however, it seems like 2020 and on will be the years where the Guerrero-Bichette era starts and next season will be a season that serves as a bridge between the present and the future. That said, it makes quite a lot of sense to trade a pending free agent with his value at the peak.
The problem, however, is the market for 1B/DH players isn’t very big as these type of players have lost so much value over the last years. There will surely be some interest in the 31-year-old first baseman but the offers might not be very valuable.