Blue Jays: Top 5 players most likely to be traded this offseason

The Blue Jays have some important decisions to make this offseason, and that could include looking to make a few significant trades. With that in mind, it’s never too early to think about what Ross Atkins and his front office team might do, or which Jays players could end up being traded.

I’d be willing to bet that the Blue Jays will dip into their prospect pool again if they do pursue a trade or two over the winter, and even after their big swap with the Twins in July there are still plenty of talented minor leaguers in the system. That said, I also expect that they’ll trade some their big league roster as well, both in pursuit of upgrades, and perhaps also with payroll considerations in mind.

2021 showed us just how tantalizingly close this team is to being a World Series contender, even if they found themselves on the outside of the playoff picture. In a normal season, 91 regular season wins would get them to the postseason, but unfortunately it was one game short of a Wild Card spot this year, and sadly only good for fourth in the ridiculously competitive AL East.

Hopefully the Jays will be able to re-sign Robbie Ray and/or Marcus Semien, and then focus on a handful of roster tweaks ahead of the 2022 campaign. What happens with their own pending free agents (or potential replacements) will factor heavily into what the Blue Jays may or may not do on the trade market, but I expect them to be involved either way.

With that in mind, allow me to explain which big leaguers I expect to be either traded or involved in rumours over the winter.