3 trade targets the Blue Jays should consider early in the season

Every year it seems like theres some early season trade that sends shockwaves throughout MLB. 

In 2022, the Padres and Twins linked up on the last day of spring training for a trade that sent Taylor Rogers to San Diego. A year later, the Marlins pulled the plug on the JJ Bleday experiment and traded him to the Athletics for A.J. Puk at the start of spring training.

And last year, Padres general manager AJ Preller opened May by trading for Luis Arraez a year after Arraez won the batting title. 

Is there a chance the Blue Jays could be the team that lights the first embers on the transactional Hot Stove?

In speaking with reporters last week, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins went on record saying that, if Toronto was to add to its depth, it would be via trade.

And while the trade market isn’t as established as it is around the trade deadline, Atkins and team president Mark Shapiro likely have a good idea of which players available and, most importantly, what it would take to get them. 

With all that in mind, we decided to take a look at three players who would could be avaibale as spring training starts up.

3 early-season trade targets to keep an eye on

Robert Suarez

As you can tell from the trades above, Preller and the Padres aren’t afraid to make moves. While the Padres made the postseason last year, they spent most of the offseason working to shed salary due to an uncertain ownership situation, which has led to them making players like Dylan Cease, Michael King, Arraez and Suarez available in trade talks. 

Of those four, Suarez seems the “move that’s the most probable,” according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Suarez is guaranteed $10 million this season and has two $8 player options for the 2026 and ‘27 seasons. 

That contract makes it a bit hard to gauge Suarez’s value, as he can be treated both as a long-term piece or a rental depending on if he picks up his options or not.

The 33-year-old didn’t make his MLB debut until 2022, but has since turned into an All-Star closer. He’s coming off a season where he had a 2.77 ERA in 65 innings. 

While the Blue Jays already have Jeff Hoffman penciled in for the ninth inning, Saurez has proven that he can pitch in a setup role (he pitched in front of Josh Hader in 2023) and would be a dangerous asset in the bullpen if the Blue Jays were willing to meet Preller’s asking price.

Yandy Díaz

The Blue Jays are incredibly familiar with Díaz, as he’s a .286 hitter in 64 career games against the Blue Jays. The one-time batting champion is coming off a season where his numbers took a bit of a dip (.281 batting average in ‘24 compared to ‘23) due to injury. He still finished the year in the 88th percentile or better in expected batting average, exit velocity, hard-hit rate, white rate, chase rate and squared-up rate. 

And, perhaps most importantly, he’s only owed $10 million this year and has a $12 million team option next season that doesn’t have a buyout.

The Rays are MLB’s best at straddling the line between competing and rebuilding, and Díaz’s name was floated at last year's trade deadline, so it’s clear that he’s available. While he’s not a perfect fit (he’s played only first base since 2022), the Blue Jays could shift Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to third and/or rotate the two between designated hitter. 

The biggest hang-up here could be the return. 

The Rays are always looking for pitching (as evidenced by them trading for Brandon Eisert earlier this year) earlier this year, but it would be understandable if Atkins and co. would be uncomfortable trading the quality of pitching needed to get Díaz to the Rays.

Taylor Ward

While the Blue Jays added to their outfield by signing Anthony Santander, they could all-in on their outfield acquiring Ward, who is due to make $7.8 million this year through arbitration. 

The Angels responded to a franchise-worst 63-99 record last season by making a flurry of offseason moves, but it remains to be seen if any of those moves will amount to any winning. And, with that, it might behoove them to move Ward, who is 31 and likely doesn’t fit into their timeline of contention. 

This move would put a roadblock in front of some prospect (likely Joey Loprfido), but it could also be insurance if it doesn’t look like Daulton Varsho will be ready in time for Opening Day. 

Ward’s primarily a left fielder, which is where the current question mark in the outfield is. You’d likely still have to do some positional mixing and matching to make sure his bat’s in the lineup every day, but his bat makes it worth it. 

And it would reunite him with his old friend Bowden Francis.