Blue Jays: The best ways to take advantage of payroll crunches

Swinging for the fences

If I were drawing up a best case scenario for the Blue Jays this offseason (other than the one we’ll talk about later), it would be to trade for Nolan Arenado. Our own Josh Pedvis talked about the possibility the other day, and I have to admit that it would be a dream to have a two-way star like the 29-year-old on the roster.

The reason that Arenado is even coming up in trade rumours is because he has six years and 199 million remaining on his current deal (according to Spotrac.com), and the Rockies finished near the bottom of the National League this past season.

My guess is that the Rockies would probably like to rid themselves of the money committed to Arenado, but I doubt they’re ready to give up one of the best players in baseball in order to do so. For that reason, I’d be surprised if they were to trade the 5x All-Star, even if he’s one of the most expensive players in baseball.

Having said that, if there’s a time that they could be convinced to make a deal, it might be right now. The Blue Jays would have the young players and trade assets to make a tempting offer, but who knows how many other clubs would line up to do the same. The other big key is that Arenado has a full no-trade clause, so he’d have to approve a move to north of the border.

It’s probably a long shot at best, but at the very least it’s worth making a phone call to the Rockies.