4 perfect trade partners that could help transform the Blue Jays

Cleveland Guardians

It's hard to gauge a team like the Guardians. On one hand, their pitching can dominate and they can have enough offense to win the Central. On the other, their season can turn out just like last year and be a disappointment.

Regardless of how Cleveland plans on navigating their future, there are definitely pieces available that are intriguing for the Blue Jays. The first obvious one is Jose Ramirez. He's a bonafide top-3 third baseman in baseball on an incredible contract; and with no guarantee of a Matt Chapman return, he would serve as an upgrade, let alone a replacement.

The Guardians are rich on pitching, which could be something Toronto looks at whether it's part of a Ramirez deal or its own deal. Especially looking at the bullpen, whether it's going big for Emmanuel Clase, or striking an under-the-radar deal for Eli Morgan, who is under club control for at least 3 more years.

A move for Clase would likely cost a pair of top 10 prospects given his 5 years of club control, which would be worth it if it's players on the higher end of that top 10.

If it's a move that captures Ramirez and one of the relievers, it'll certainly take Tiedemann and then some, like even a package that matches the hypothetical one for Robert Jr. In that case, pull the trigger.

St. Louis Cardinals

One name. Nolan Arenado.

Does Toronto have the assets to trade for him? Yes and no. Yes in the sense that they literally could gut the farm and possibly land one of the best at the hot corner the game has ever seen. But no in the sense that it might not be worth it.

Arenado had a down year in 2023, boasting a 109 OPS+ a year after finishing third in NL MVP voting. Another issue is he's turning 33 shortly after the commencement of next season. Though his defense is still top notch and we've seen him bounce back from a down year. But determining his worth via trade is hard to do as a fan.

The main reason is his contract. While the remainder of his deal isn't so bad as it steadily declines to $15 million in his final year, it's the full no trade clause that could be scary. Not to mention, $30 million of his contract from 2022-2026 is deferred in interest-free $3 million annual payments ranging from 2032-2041.

If Arenado can be the same top-tier player the league is used to seeing, then a trade would be completely worth it, especially given the shortening window of Toronto's current core. If there's ever a time to trade for him, it's now while his value might be on the lower end. Otherwise, the lone solution to striking a deal without losing someone like Tiedemann would be to maybe eat the contract of a player like...Steven Matz.

Whether that's worth it is debatable, but it's a conversation worth having.

Colorado Rockies

There's perhaps no team more motivated to sell than Colorado. The Rockies were undoubtedly the worst team in the National League last season, and there isn't anything to suggest that that'll be changing anytime soon.

Despite how bad the roster looks, there are interesting pieces. The first one that jumps out is Nolan Jones. In his first year as a Rockie, he burst through the scene with 20 home runs and a 4.3 bWAR in just 106 games. His value would be really high given his pre-arb status, and it's not a given that Colorado would even want to trade him at this time, but it's definitely worth a call from Atkins' perspective.

A trade for Jones at this time would mean that at minimum, a top-10 prospect would have to come off the board. Though it's possible the Blue Jays could get away with a trade while keeping Tiedemann and at least two of Martinez/Barreira/Nimmala. Guys like Leo Jimenez, Alan Roden and Landen Maroudis would be feasible trading chips still within the top-10 prospect pool, that fit Colorado's timeline a bit better.

Ryan McMahon serves as another interesting option at a lower cost, as he would be a terrific defensive replacement for Matt Chapman. While his standard offensive stats are concerning as he's never reached a 100 OPS+ in his career, his peripherals prove that he can be a solid power addition if he can cut down his strikeout problems.

Getting relief pitcher Daniel Bard wouldn't be a terrible move, either, but it carries risk as he comes off arguably the worst year of his career with concerning command issues. The upside would be hoping he gets back to anywhere near his 2022 form (where he finished 16th in NL MVP voting), and his deal expires after 2024, meaning he could be a throw-in to a trade for Jones or McMahon at likely no extra cost prospect-wise.