A Blue Jays Winter Meetings trade that would completely change the clubhouse vibes

It's become old hat for the Toronto Blue Jays but once again this offseason, the front office are doing their due diligence and checking in on all the big names. Toronto keeps being mentioned as a "potential suitor" for X free agent, or "showing interest" in this star player.

If fans have learned anything over a decade of Ross Atkins being the team's general manager, it's that the Blue Jays scouting staff and does their homework and puts in the research before they make any moves. So it's not surprising to read earlier this offseason that the Blue Jays have interest in the Arizona Diamondback's Ketel Marte. And while Marte is a very talented player, it's a move that may carry some other underlining issues.

A Blue Jays Winter Meetings trade that would completely change the clubhouse vibes

Some fans don't buy into the "vibes" at all, but the 2025 Blue Jays proved that when the players genuinely like each other, and want to play for each other it certainly can have an influence on the team's success. A trade for Marte would mean that some of the guys who helped build that clubhouse culture may not be a part of that in 2026.

For one, Marte plays second base and the Blue Jays are currently in negotiations with their star shortstop Bo Bichette. Should they re-sign Bichette, he would either end up taking back his position at short, or sliding over to the keystone and letting Andrés Giménez become the every day guy at short. But with Marte coming into the fold, it muddies up that combination a little bit more.

While Bichette could also move to third, the Blue Jays still have Ernie Clement and Addison Barger who would be looking for playing time at both of those positions. Clement and Barger were regarded as fun guys to be around in the clubhouse, and both had productive years.

A trade for Marte giving the Blue Jays "too many" every day guys could be considered a "good problem to have" but it would be unrealistic to think they could get a deal done with the Diamondbacks that wouldn't involve moving someone like Clement or Barger in the deal, more likely Barger than Clement and that would just be the start of such a trade.

It's possible the Diamondbacks wouldn't want any current major league talent back and would accept a deal straight up for some prospects, especially if they are looking to shed salary. But Clement is arbitration eligible and is projected to earn roughly $4.3 million, while Barger is still in his pre-arbitration days, so if either guy is moved in the deal, the Diamondbacks would still be saving on the $15 million owed to the 31-year-old Marte.

And if this deal does go down at the Winter Meetings, which begin on Monday in Orlando, there is no guarantee the Blue Jays could also bring back Bichette while adding on Marte's price tag. Yes, they clearly have money to spend, but a trade for Marte would all but signal the end for their relationship with Bo. Stranger things have happened, but having Marte, Clement, Barger, Bichette and Giménez all on the same roster just doesn't seem realistic.

Out of all the guys listed there, Marte had the best bWAR by the slightest margin of 4.4, just beating out Clement's 4.3. He also hit the most home runs out of the four players, but his 28 home runs seems like a reasonable goal for a full season from Barger, and it's exactly what Barger and Giménez combined for.

Marte also had the highest OBP (.376), SLG (.517), and OPS (.893), but he's also the oldest of the group and again, his production doesn't heavily outweigh the output of the combination that Clement, Barger and Giménez could provided, let alone what Bo can do all on his own.

While Marte would be a fantastic addition to any roster, trading for him - depending on what the Blue Jays send to the Diamondbacks - it would be a trade that might just change the clubhouse vibes too much to be worth it.