Blue Jays: Players who could be traded once the lockout is over

Gunnar Hoglund

The Blue Jays first-round pick in 2021, right-hander Gunnar Hoglund is one name fans have seen in various theoretical trade packages this offseason.

Currently slated to spend the first half of the campaign on the IL recovering from Tommy John surgery, Hoglund is coming off a solid three years at the University of Mississippi that saw the right-hander pitch to a 3.68 ERA through 32 appearances. He would make 11 starts in 2021 before undergoing the surgery, throwing to a 2.87 ERA through 62.2 innings pitched and accumulating 96 strikeouts to go along with a 0.910 WHIP.

The surgery did hurt his draft status, as he went from a potential top ten pick and falling all the way to the Blue Jays spot at #19, but Hoglund possesses a starters frame and an arsenal that should play at the Major League level as long as he can return to form.

Widely considered as the club’s top pitching prospect (depending on if you still consider Nate Pearson a prospect), the current Jays rotation and depth behind him in Kloffenstein, CJ Van Eyk, Ricky Tiedemann, Sem Robberse, and Irv Carter does give Ross Atkins some flexibility to trade prospect pitchers like Hoglund to help improve the current roster.

His stock could be higher if the Jays choose to trade him at the deadline once he returns to action but for opposing teams looking for prospects with the potential to be starters in the big leagues, Hoglund is one name that could be dangled by the Jays front office that carries strong value.