4 perfect trade partners for the Blue Jays to fix infield logjam

During the 2023-24 offseason, the Toronto Blue Jays have made various signings, both minor and major, to bolster their roster for the upcoming year. Among them included major league deals with Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Justin Turner, along with a minor league deal with Eduardo Escobar and Daniel Vogelbach. Three of the four of these players have extensive experience playing all around the infield throughout their careers.

With this trio in the fold for the Jays entering spring training, they will be competing for playing time in the field with previous mainstays Cavan Biggio, Santiago Espinal and Davis Schneider, along with hopefuls Ernie Clement, Spencer Horwitz, Addison Barger and Orelvis Martinez for the upcoming season.

With the suddenly created infield logjam, the Jays would be wise to relieve some of the excess bodies by using one or more of them in trades with other teams. Therefore, we will look at four potential teams that could be ideal trade partners with the Jays to help them free up some infield playing time, along with further upgrading their roster.

Chicago White Sox

After being legitimate contenders for very much since the turn of this decade, the White Sox fell back considerably this past season when many of their players underachieved for the most part. In particular, two-time All-Star Tim Anderson had his worst year of his career when his severe power outage led him to just a .245 batting average, .582 OPS, with only 1 home run and 25 RBI in 123 games played. As a result, the White Sox were huge sellers at the trade deadline in 2023, shipping away the likes of Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, Kendall Graveman, and Jake Burger for future assets.

As the White Sox look to rebuild for the future, they let go two key infield starters this offseason in former two-time All-Star shortstop Tim Anderson and veteran second baseman Elvis Andrus. As a result, they very much need some influx of infield talent to help fill out their roster, which is where the Jays could play a big role in contributing to. In return, the Jays could look into someone like Luis Robert Jr., although he would command much more than one infielder in return. He would be a huge difference-maker for the team if they found a way to swing this deal.

San Francisco Giants

Another team that the Jays can engage in some trade talks with include the Giants. Long-time shortstop Brandon Crawford entered free agency following the 2023 season, leaving a gaping hole at the position. Crawford was a three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner during his 13-year tenure with the Giants. Up until 2023, he had spent his entire career with the team that drafted him. However, his numbers had declined drastically in the past couple of seasons, including posting some mediocre stats in 2023 when he hit just .194 with a .587 OPS, 63 OPS+, along with just 7 home runs and 38 RBI in 93 games played.

For the Jays, they have an assortment of infielders that specialize in various skills and abilities, whether it be hitting (Horwitz), power (Schneider, Biggio), or defense (Espinal). Given defense had been an area of concern for the Giants the past couple of years, getting someone like Espinal, who has the potential to develop into the next Crawford, makes the most sense. Going the other way, the Jays could look for insurance depth for their outfield, given the wavering health of both Kevin Kiermaier and George Springer. Since the Giants now have an excess of outfielders after signing Jorge Soler, someone like an Austin Slater or Mike Yastrzemski could fit the bill.

Cleveland Guardians

For a team that had been perennial contenders prior to the 2023 season, the Guardians turned out to be a huge disappointment last year as they finished with a 76-86 record and third place in the AL Central Division. Despite being led by the star power of five-time All-Star José Ramírez, former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber and one of the best closers in the game in Emmanuel Clase, they still ended up finishing in their worst position in the standings in nearly 10 years. As they look to retool their roster to get back to their winning ways in 2024, their roster significantly lacks a solid shortstop that could line up well with Ramírez, Josh Naylor and Andrés Giménez.

That is where the Jays can come in, with quality options in Clement and Espinal, along with the possibility of young promising prospects in Barger and Leo Jimenez. In exchange, the Jays can tap into some of the Guardians’ strength in solid pitching arms, with the outside shot of landing some premium budding talent such as a Tanner Bibee, or perhaps maybe even a Shane Bieber following his subpar season last year. Or they could go all out and try for Clase and form an unstoppable back end bullpen duo with Jordan Romano.