3 infield alternatives for the Blue Jays not named Bichette or Marte on trade market

The current Toronto Blue Jays offseason appears to be centered around whether the Blue Jays can re-sign Bo Bichette, or if they can trade for Ketel Marte to address their infield heading into the 2026 season. After all, there aren’t too many infielders that could produce at such an elite rate as both players have done throughout their careers.

But what happens if the Blue Jays fails to get Bichette or Marte this offseason? What are the alternatives that they can fall back on that could potentially still make up for some of that elite production?

3 infield alternatives for the Blue Jays not named Bichette or Marte that they can trade for

Brandon Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays

As a long-time Blue Jays killer during his time with the Tampa Bay Rays, Brandon Lowe may not be the flashiest name out there, but he can still pack a punch when it comes to offense. The two-time All-Star has spent his entire eight-year MLB career with the Rays, posting a lifetime .247 average and .807 OPS. When healthy, Lowe can average an elite 90 runs scored, 34 home runs and 97 RBIs over a full 162-game pace.

However, the main caveat for the 31-year-old infielder is exactly that, his injury history and health. Over his eight years in the majors, Lowe has only managed to play more than 110 games twice, with a career-high 149 in 2021 and 134 just last season. Nevertheless, if he can put those injury issues officially behind him, Lowe can provide unexpected value as a valuable lefty in the Jays’ lineup.

Jeff McNeil, New York Mets

What better way to bolster the team roster than by adding a former two-time All-Star and Silver Slugger winner in New York Mets utilityman Jeff McNeil. It wasn’t too long ago when McNeil appeared to be the next budding star in his 2019 breakout campaign in which he hit .318 with a .916 OPS, with 83 runs scored, 38 doubles, 23 home runs and 75 RBIs in 133 games played.

However, despite some drop-off in production in recent years, McNeil is still good for 70+ runs scored, double digits in home runs and 60+ RBIs in an average season while hitting close to .280. In fact, he managed to win the league batting title just three seasons ago with a .326 mark. More importantly, with his ability to play multiple position in the infield and outfield, it will provide the Blue Jays with that much-needed flexibility that manager John Schneider likes to utilize when deploying his ever-changing lineup on a daily basis.

Brendan Donovan, St. Louis Cardinals

Finally, we have the heavily rumored utilityman that could be on the move this offseason in St. Louis Cardinals utilityman Brendan Donovan. Similar to McNeil above, Donovan is a master at playing multiple positions in both the infield and outfield. But one advantage that he has over McNeil is the fact that Donovan has also captured a Gold Glove Award, showing his defensive prowess in each of the different parts of the field that he had played in.

As for his offensive contributions, Donovan has maintained a solid .282 batting average and .772 OPS for his career, while putting up similar runs scored, home runs and RBI totals as McNeil. But with the 28-year-old utilityman heading into his prime years, while McNeil is already 33, it makes Donovan a costly target, with a higher upside.