Could the Blue Jays build a trade package that lines up with the Royals needs?

According to Jon Morosi on X, the Kansas City Royals are in the market for an outfielder and prefer to acquire one via a trade rather than free agency.

Morosi named the Los Angeles Angels and Boston Red Sox as possible trade partners. But Jays Journal wonders about the Toronto Blue Jays as a potential trade partner. It does make sense, they have an abundance of outfielders and are looking to improve their bullpen, an area that the Royals could decide to part with if they can acquire a bigger impact outfielder.

Could the Blue Jays build a trade package that lines up with the Royals’ needs?

Right off the jump, there are two names that come to mind that the Blue Jays could part with. The first one is Davis Schneider, who has been a great bench bat for the team and can play around the diamond. The second player, and the one that will be the focus of this article, is Anthony Santander, the Blue Jays' big offseason acquisition who spent the majority of the season on the IR.

Because of that, the Blue Jays were able to discover that they may not need him going forward. And if they can trade him and bring in an effective bullpen arm or two, it may be worth it. Now, the downside of trading Santander is that he isn’t a very good defender. Yes, he can hit the ball very well when healthy, but he is a below-average fielder, which could be something the Royals aren’t thrilled about.

That said, the Royals’ outfield did consist of MJ Melendez, Kameron Misner, Nick Loftin, Kyle Isbel, and Jac Caglianone. Adding Santander would provide them with a lot more pop from their outfield, a group that already has some good fielders, which could be why they are interested in adding another bat. Plus, Santander can DH, which gives them an option to keep him in the lineup even on days when he isn’t well enough to field.

What could a Blue Jays & Royals trade look like?

Much like the outfielders from Toronto, there are a few names that come to mind for the Royals. But we’re going to focus on one main target for the Blue Jays, and that would be Lucas Erceg, a right-handed pitcher who could be used in high-leverage situations to make their bullpen deeper. Along with him, Daniel Lynch IV, a left-handed pitcher, would provide them with another lefty arm that could be used in situational baseball when a team has left-handed batters in their lineup.

Erceg, 30, is the main focus in the trade. He was one of the most reliable pitchers for the Royals after being traded from the Oakland A's in 2024. Since then, he owns a 2.71 ERA and has struck out 79 batters in 61.1 innings pitched. He would be an arm the Blue Jays could use in the seventh or eighth inning before they go to their closer. If they manage to bring back Seranthony Domínguez, the two would make a strong late-game, high-leverage duo for the team.

In terms of the full trade, the Blue Jays would probably need to eat some of Santander's salary in any trade to the Royals. It could likely be around 25–50% retention in exchange for Erceg and Daniel Lynch IV.

This trade could help both teams. The Royals want outfield help, and Santander provides that. He brings a ton of power when healthy and can slot in as DH to keep his bat in the lineup. As for the Blue Jays, they would be getting two bullpen arms that would help them a lot this season, especially in situations they struggled with last year.