Four unconventional trade targets who could help the Blue Jays bounce back in 2027

After a season in which they should have been competing for a playoff spot but didn’t even finish at .500, the Toronto Blue Jays need to take a long look in the mirror and figure out how to make sure 2027 looks more like 2025 than 2026.

It’s very hard to get to the World Series, but a team with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Dylan Cease in their primes should be competing handily for a playoff spot – not struggling along and hanging around only because the rest of the American League is weak.

So everything should be on the table, and that includes a few off-the-board trade targets. Each would take a little creativity to fit on the roster, but there’s no doubt any of them could help Toronto.

Hunter Goodman

It seems like everyone else in the AL East is targeting Goodman. The Rays, Yankees and Red Sox have all been linked to the Rockies’ 27-year-old catcher, who hit 41 home runs last season and 31 the year before.

Yes, the Blue Jays already have two capable catchers in Brandon Valenzuela and Alejandro Kirk, but Goodman also has experience in the outfield and at first base.

So why not acquire him and ask him to move around? Look at him as a corner outfielder who can also play first base, take plenty of at-bats at DH (with Anthony Santander being moved somewhere else) and catch in an emergency, and he fits exactly what the Blue Jays need.

Toronto hit the fewest home runs in MLB in 2026. Add Goodman’s 41 to their 152, and the Blue Jays suddenly look a lot more respectable – that total would have put them in the top 15 in the majors. With Goodman and Valenzuela both on the roster, the Blue Jays could also pinch-run for Kirk more often late in games and still have a backup catcher on the bench or in the lineup.

William Contreras

Speaking of carrying three catchers, the Brewers are reportedly getting ready to shop Contreras this offseason. According to The Athletic, Milwaukee holds a $14.5 million option on Contreras and also has decisions to make on Trevor Megill and Andrew Vaughan, who are both heading into arbitration.

The Brewers have a history of moving players at peak value as they near free agency, and Contreras would bring back plenty. He ranked fifth among catchers in fWAR (3.0) and led the position in games played (124), making him one of the most productive and durable catchers in baseball.

For the Blue Jays, it would come down to valuing his bat enough to get creative with Kirk’s and Valenzuela’s playing time behind the plate and at DH, just like with Goodman. There’s a scenario where all three contribute regularly: Kirk catches, Contreras serves as the primary DH, and Valenzuela takes over behind the plate whenever they pinch-run for Kirk late in games.

Mike Trout

The Blue Jays need a right-handed-hitting outfielder, and the Angels owe a generational player the chance to play for a legitimate contender. And Trout wouldn’t be coming over as a part-time player on a victory lap.

The 35-year-old was still productive last season, slashing .242/.382/.421 with 22 home runs and a 129 wRC+. His defense slipped, with a -9.3 defensive rating on FanGraphs, but that matters a lot less if he’s spending most of his time at DH.

Be honest: who would you rather have taking most of the at-bats at DH, Anthony Santander or Mike Trout? The catch is the money. Trout is owed $35 million per season for the next four years, which might be tough for the Blue Jays to swallow, but if they’re willing to take on all of it, they could likely get him for fewer prospects.

Masataka Yoshida

Yoshida looks like the odd man out in Boston, and with just one year and $18 million left on his five-year deal, he could be a fallback option if the Blue Jays can’t land a bigger outfield upgrade.

Yoshida hit .274/.347/.399 with five home runs and a 108 wRC+ in 87 games last season, along with a 9.4% walk rate and an 11.1% strikeout rate. Like Trout, his defense wasn’t great, and he hits left-handed, just like incumbents Nathan Lukes and Addison Barger and potential backup outfielders Yohendrick Piñango and Jonatan Clase.

So what does Yoshida do for Toronto? He provides depth. Sure, $18 million is a lot for a player who might “only” be there to protect against a major injury like the one the Blue Jays dealt with when Barger went down. But he puts the ball in play consistently and doesn’t give away at-bats. If the trade-off is more at-bats for Yoshida instead of Santander, that’s arguably an upgrade, since Yoshida is more likely to extend an inning.

A sub-.500 season puts every option on the table for the Blue Jays

None of these four would be a simple fit, and each would force the Blue Jays to rethink how they use their roster. But that’s exactly the point. A team that hit the fewest home runs in MLB and still needs a right-handed-hitting outfielder can’t afford to stick to the status quo of what's already in house.

Whether it’s Goodman’s power, Contreras’ durability, Trout’s on-base ability or Yoshida’s knack for putting the ball in play, each would make the lineup deeper and tougher for opposing pitchers to navigate.

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