Blue Jays reportedly “to try trading” Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez, and Justin Smoak

The Blue Jays front office could look to move pitchers Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez, as well as veteran first baseman Justin Smoak, according to an MLB insider.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, who appeared on an MLB Network roundtable Monday, the Blue Jays are going to “try to trade” Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez, and Justin Smoak over “the next few months”.

Rosenthal also adds that the team would ideally look to get “more young talent in [Vladimir Guerrero Jr.]’s age range and service class”.

Below is a full transcript of Rosenthal’s remarks, transcribed by Mike Johnston of Sportsnet:

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“It’s going to be really interesting to watch the Jays over the next few months because what I believe they’re going to do – what I’m told they’re going to do – is try to trade [Marcus] Stroman, [Aaron] Sanchez, [Justin] Smoak and others to get more young talent in Vladdy’s age range and service class and then build up that way”.

It is also of note that Rosenthal mentions some “others” that the Blue Jays could try and trade. While there’s been no word on who those “others” are, it’s possible he could be referring to veterans Freddy Galvis, Ken Giles, and Clay Buchholz, though those players certainly will not have as much trade value as the aforementioned trio.

On the surface, this appears to be just another murmur, similar to those that have followed the Stroman-Sanchez tandem the entire offseason.

While Stroman, 28 on May 1, and Sanchez, 26, would probably be quite valuable to a contender in need of controllable pitching, Smoak, whose contract expires after this season, could be one of the more intriguing deadline pieces to be moved.

Though the conversation wasn’t as detailed as some Blue Jays fans will hope, it certainly is something to pay attention to as the days go by. More to come.