4 Blue Jays most likely to be traded this offseason

Santiago Espinal

What do the Blue Jays have in Santiago Espinal? Answering this question will be key in them determining whether or not to consider him as a trade candidate.

Is Espinal the player fans watched in 2022, who had a breakout season? The version who set single-season highs in hits, home runs, RBI and walks, and was selected to his first All-Star Game.

Or is it the version who came crashing back down to earth this past season, as his bat went cold? A player who was moved all around the infield, and unable to find any consistency or stability at one position, as his defensive form also slipped.

In one respect, it's not as if Espinal suddenly became a terrible player. At the same time however, you have to wonder if 2022 was a one-off, career peak, a flash in the pan, etc, etc.

Certainly, it is concerning that the soon to be 29-year-old had the worst batting average of his four years in the Majors. Considering he's not perceived as a power hitter, he needs to counter this by making regular contact with the bat.

In this respect, it is only fair to note how Espinal finished his 2023 regular season. As per Eric Treuden, in his last 51 at-bats, he complied a .375 batting average with a 152 wRC+, six doubles, six runs driven in and four runs scored.

One final aspect to consider in deciding whether to trade the Dominican Republic native, is his contract. He is arbitration-eligible for another three years, before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2027.

Nate Pearson

When it comes to perception being reality, Nate Pearson serves as a prime example. Is he a quality pitcher who hasn't been utilised and coached correctly by the Blue Jays, or yet another example of a talent incapable of reaching their true potential?

Whichever is true, now might be the best time to part company with Pearson. Aside from any potential trade partner still having three years of club control, it just doesn't seem like it's destined to happen for him in Toronto.

It had all started off so promisingly for the 2017 first round draft pick, with a spectacular Major League debut versus the Nationals. However, it all quickly began to fall apart for the projected staff ace, not helped by terrible luck with injuries.

Eventually, the Blue Jays made the decision to put Pearson in the bullpen. And after more injury issues which cost him all of 2022, he finally got his first sustained chance this past season as a reliever.

To begin with, it seemed like the 27-year-old was finally in the right situation to succeed, displaying what he was capable of. In his first 17 appearances, he recorded a 1.96 ERA, 26 strikeouts and a 0.91 WHIP in 23.0 combined innings.

However, it turned out to be too good to be true for Pearson. A 16-game spell saw him produce a shocking 9.53 ERA and 1.650 WHIP in 17.0 combined innings, which resulted in him being sent down to the Minors.

For what it's worth, the Odessa, Florida native did appear in two games during September, allowing no earned runs in 2.2 innings. Ultimately though, it just seems it would be best for him to start over in a new city, if he is ever going to find any sort of productive consistency.

Alek Manoah

Finally, we come to the most polarising player currently with the Blue Jays. Alek Manoah suffered one of the most spectacular falls from grace this past season and now his future is extremely uncertain.

The previous year had been a spectacular campaign for Manoah, as he established himself as the staff ace. Following on from an excellent 2021, he was even better in 2022.

The 2019 11th overall draft pick was spectacular, as he went 16-7 in 31 starts, producing a 2.24 ERA, 3.35 FIP and 0.992 WHIP. He was named an All-Star, finished third in AL Cy Young voting and even received some consideration for MVP.

The world appeared to be Manoah's oyster, but this year it all went downhill rapidly. With speculation that he had let success go to his head, he showed up for spring training overweight, and the seeds were sown for what was to follow.

Named the opening day starter, the 25-year-old allowed nine hits, two walks and five earned runs in just 3.1 innings versus the Cardinals. He did respond by giving up just one hit in 7.0 shutout innings against the Royals, but the bad performances subsequently outnumbered the positive ones.

The Blue Jays finally had enough after Manoah's outing versus the Astros in early June. He allowed a shocking seven hits and six earned runs as he was only able to record one out, and the decision was made to option him to the Florida Complex League.

Rumours would subsequently surface, that the Homestead, Florida native felt he was too good for such a move. Regardless, when the Blue Jays recalled him a month later, many believed it to be too soon; if the organisation was looking to fix him, why bring him back so quickly?

In hindsight, this line of questioning was justified when Manoah continued to struggle, and the Blue Jays decided to send him to Buffalo during August. However, he didn't take too kindly to this, and while the official eventual line was that a potential injury was being looked into, speculation was that he just felt being demoted to the Minors was beneath him.

As of today, the disconnect and lack of trust between the pitcher and the organisation is at a critical juncture. Additionally, regardless of how talented the righty is, doubt surrounds whether he can ever rediscover his previous form.

In truth, the Blue Jays are almost in a no-win situation. They could be stuck with a player who never gets his mojo back, or if they somehow do persuade a team to trade for him, they face the risk of him returning to his 2022 form and making them look bad for giving up on him so soon.