3 trade deadline targets the Blue Jays would be smart to consider

Toronto Blue Jays have been riding the wave of dominance from their starting pitchers, while the back end of the bullpen has been lights out at the start of the season. Their lineup however, while has used a small-ball approach to secure most of their wins.

At 12-10 (.545), the Blue Jays are setting themselves up to be buyers at this year’s trade deadline. While it's only the middle of April, it's never too early to look at some potential trade targets who could help Toronto get over the hump this year.

Note: All stats are through Sunday's games.

Way-too-early predictions for the Toronto Blue Jays' trade deadline

The Blue Jays have hit 12 home runs through 22 games, which is the second-lowest mark in the majors.

The hope is the Blue Jays' big boppers will start putting the ball over the wall by the time the deadline comes around, but you can never have too much power in your lineup. There's a reason that most team's spend July calling around trying to figure out the asking price for the biggest bats on the market.

Target No. 1: OF Taylor Ward, Los Angeles Angels

The 31-year-old right-handed hitter is a late bloomer and seems to have found his power stroke a bit late into his career.

Ward mashed 23 home runs in his breakout 2022 season where he also slashed .281/.360/.473. He was hurt for most of 2023, but still managed 14 home runs, then bounced back last year with 25 longballs.

He's slashing .216/.247/.432 this year with five home runs and eight RBI in 21 games.

Why it works

Ward had a strong finish to 2024 that's carried over to the beginning of this season. Ward has 14 home runs over his last 50 MLB games across both seasons, which is more than Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (5), George Springer (6), and Anthony Santander (9) have over that same time period.

While the Blue Jays have a bevy of outfielders already on the roster, Ward could bring legitimate power in a platoon role. Ward has also brought a much better approach to the plate overall this season as he's in the 98th percentile in chase rate and the 90th percentile in whiff rate.

He's got an interesting offensive profile, as he's hit .284 against left-handers in his career but has seen far more time against right-handers in his career.

He's mashed 64 of his 82 career home runs against right-handed pitchers, and has 1,661 career at-bats against right-hander pitchers compared to just 602 against left-hander pitchers.

Why it doesn’t work

Ward won’t be a free agent until 2027 – so it could be costly to get him from the Angels. The Angels are also off to a decent start this season and may not be looking to sell at the deadline.

Target No. 2: RHP Sonny Gray, St. Lous Cardinals

As mentioned, the Blue Jays have won most of their games thanks to strong starting pitching.

Blue Jays starters have a 3.66 ERA with 115 strikeouts, but they've also allowed 22 home runs, which is tied for the highest-mark in baseball.

But even with that, the Blue Jays still have a question mark at the back of their rotation for as long as Max Scherzer's injured, as their depth is mostly unproven talent.

That’s why a dependable, durable arm who can keep the ball in the ballpark could be on Toronto’s shopping list.

That's where Gray comes in.

The 35-year-old right-hander is in his second full season with the Cardinals after signing a three-year deal after the 2023 season.  

Gray had a fantastic six-year stretch from 2019 and 2024, where he accumulated 19.9 bWAR with 935 strikeouts in 836 2/3 innings pitched. He's a two-time All-Star, and has earned two top-10 Cy Young finishes in his career.

Why it Works

While there will be several “ace”-type candidates available at this year's deadline, Gray is an underrated option.

Gray has allowed just 80 home runs in 800+ innings in 2019, giving him a HR/9 rate of 0.86 over that time frame, which is the seventh-best mark in MLB over that time frame.

That’s better than Yu Darvish (1.27), Dylan Cease (1.06) and Corbin Burnes (0.94). Over the past three seasons, Gray has also kept his home run to fly ball ratio down to a stingy 9.6%. Gray would be another mid-30-year-old arm in this rotation but someone manager John Schneider should have the confidence in to pitch in big games down the stretch.

It would also allow for Gray to work his way back into Toronto's good graces after he helped lead the Twins to a postseason win in 2023.

Why it doesn’t work

Gray won’t be a free agent until after the 2026 season, but he also has a $30 million team option for 2027 with a $5 million buyout, which means that a trade for Gray could be costly.

The Cardinals are stuck in an odd spot where they're building for the future but have a veteran roster, but there' still a chance they'd want to keep a guy like Gray around until the next wave of players is ready.

Target No. 3: 1B Yandy Díaz, Tampa Bay Rays

Outside of power, there’s one position where the Blue Jays haven't gotten a ton of production, and that's third base. Ernie Clement and Will Wagner have split the duties at the hot corner and have combined for a slash line of .213/.268/.267. Both guys have shown signs of breaking out, but an upgrade at third is something to keep an eye out for.

The 33-year-old Díaz has been one of the best hitters in the game over the last three seasons, as he's compiled 10 bWAR since 2022 and has hit .297 with an OPS of .826. He also won the American League batting title in 2023 when he hit .330.

Why it works

Díaz would bring elite on-base skills and find the deep gaps in the Rogers Centre outfield, which is evident in the fact he's hit 99 doubles and 45 home runs since 2022.

While he's a prototypical power guy, he’s someone who can length a lineup no matter where he's hitting. While he’s gotten off to a slow start this season (.230/.269/.379), he's a notorious slow starter, as his .260 batting average in May is the second-lowest in a month for his career.

He also has an extensive postseason resume (97 at-bats in 27 postseason games) and is a career .265 hitter at Rogers Centre and a career .286 hitter against the Blue Jays.

Why it doesn’t work

Díaz hasn’t played a lot of third base for quite some time. In fact, the last game he played third base in the regular season was in July 2023. He’s a primary first baseman/designated hitter, but got some buzz as a third base option in trade talks over the winter.

The other caveat is that inter-division trades are hard to pull off, especially for two teams expected to be competing for a wild card spot. The Rays also exercised their 2026 option on Díaz during spring training, and also have a vesting option for him for 2027.

Díaz’s option will pay him $12 million in 2026. If he reaches 500 plate appearances in 2026, he'll make $13 million in 2027. If he fails to reach that, it'll turn into a $10 million club option for '27.

The Blue Jays and Rays linked up for a trade for Brandon Eisert earlier this year, but a trade for Díaz would be in a different territory.