5 of the Blue Jays' most valuable (but realistic) trade chips this offseason

5 of the Blue Jays' most valuable but realistic trade chips

Addison Barger

We're going in alphabetical order, so Addison Barger's number is up first. The 24-year-old made his long-awaited MLB debut this past season, ultimately making it into 69 contests and showing a fair bit of promise despite the fact that his end-of-season OPS+ sat 30 percent below league-average at 70.

Barger, 25, recorded 18 extra-base hits and had the best months of his year in July and August when he had an OPS of .903 and .720, respectively. His bat was certainly inconsistent, but so was his playing time, so it's tough to judge too much based off of what we saw in 2024.

Throughout his ascension up the minor-league ladder, Barger flashed a ton of pop in his bat, as well as a strong ability to hit the ball in the gap. He got the chance to show that here and there in 2024, but he falls under your typical "can't expect the prospect to perform in the big leagues when he doesn't get consistent playing time" umbrella.

One of Barger's best traits is his defensive prowess, which was on full display for the Blue Jays at the big league level. He made some questionable plays in left field (a position he played in the majors for the first time in his entire career) but showed off an absolute cannon of a throwing arm at third base as well as right field. His defense alone carried a ton of weight in his value, but his bat is surely going to catch up.

Barger's value is clear: he can rake and he plays strong defense highlighted with one of the stronger throwing arms you'll find out of a position player. His tradeability comes from the fact that he's one of many players who will be vying for playing time in the 2025 Blue Jays infield. He doesn't feel like a player that should be sent straight to Triple-A to start next year, so perhaps moving him for a relief pitcher makes a degree of sense? The Cardinals could use him in multiple different spots, so it's not insane to think he could be a part of a package for Helsely or Arenado.