Blue Jays: Consider trading a catcher to one of these three teams this winter

Arizona Diamondbacks

Tying with the Baltimore Orioles for the worst record in baseball with just 52 wins, the Arizona Diamondbacks are a team that sits in an awkward position when it comes to trying to improve moving forward.

They are most likely looking to rebuild after securing top prospect Jordan Lawler this year in the MLB Draft to along with top prospects Alek Thomas and Corbin Carroll already in the farm system while they also don’t have a ton of money on the books other than Madison Bumgarner, Nick Ahmed, David Peralta, Kole Calhoun, and Ketel Marte taking up the bulk. The club could look to dive further into the rebuild by selling off some of these assets similar to how the Blue Jays did a few years ago and this is where the two organizations could come together to get a deal done.

Considering the Diamondbacks only feature one player on the top prospect list who is a catcher (and is also years away from any potential debut), the club could be looking for some depth to go alongside current starter Carson Kelly. This would be where Kirk and/or Jansen would fit in well, forming a tandem beside Kelly where each player has at least three years of contract control and could do well in the desert.

In return, the Blue Jays would benefit the most by going after 2B/OF Ketel Marte, who has three years of team-friendly contract control before becoming eligible for free agency. This move would require the Jays to add some more prospects to get the deal done, similar to the Cleveland/Ramirez deal, but could fill in the void at second base if Marcus Semien does not return next season.

If the Diamondbacks are unwilling to part with Marte, pitcher Zac Gallen would also be a welcome addition to the Blue Jays rotation. The right-hander is coming off a rough season in 2021 but has great career numbers, a 3.46 ERA through three seasons and 50 starts. Similar to the Marte deal, the Blue Jays will need to part with some additional prospect capital to get the Diamondbacks to come anywhere close to agreeing.

It depends on how heavily the Diamondbacks want to fully embrace a rebuild, as parting with Marte and/or Gallen will net them with prospect capital to facilitate this move. The issue arrises if Arizona thinks they can get a rebuild done quickly while Marte and Gallen are still under arbitration/club option, meaning they would be off the table. Neither player was traded at the deadline this year but that could change as the offseason progresses.

This one does seem like a bit of a longshot but could gain steam if Arizona does say they are willing to part with either player, as the interest will be high from across the league.