4 perfect trade partners that could help transform the Blue Jays

With Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto recently off the board, many Toronto Blue Jays fans feel deflated. And while the sentiment is understood, given the shattering nature of how the Ohtani sweepstakes unfolded, the work in pursuing star talent doesn't end there.

Sure, there are still some pieces still aboard on the free agent market, such as a reunion with Matt Chapman, a blockbuster signing of Japanese phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and the availability of power bats like Cody Bellinger, Jorge Soler and Mitch Garver. But, it's not wrong to admit the depth lacks in this year's class.

However, the trade market offers some interesting opportunities if GM Ross Atkins is willing to play his cards right.

4 teams that could help give the Jays a serious push

Chicago White Sox

It's no question the Blue Jays have a gaping hole in the outfield with the likely departure of Kevin Kiermaier. It's also no question that the White Sox are in baseball's equivalent of the netherworld.

With these two factors considered, there is a match made in heaven here. Predictably, it's Luis Robert Jr. who the Jays should target. The Cuban slugger posted a terrific season in 2023, highlighted by 38 home runs and a 5 bWAR in 145 games. He's exactly what the Blue Jays need coming off a down year offensively as a group, especially as he can slot into that left field spot with Daulton Varsho moving to centre field.

It makes sense for Chicago, too, as the Sox have nowhere to go in the near future with many of their major leaguers regressing severely. The club has been rumoured to be shopping ace Dylan Cease, which is symbolic of their pessimism of the club's short-term outlook.

A trade for Robert won't come easy given his impact along with his four years remaining of club control. This would almost certainly mean giving up some combination of Ricky Tiedemann, Orelvis Martinez, Addison Barger, Alek Manoah and Brandon Barreira. While it's tempting, it's a high-risk operation given Robert's not-so-fortunate injury history.

However, if Toronto can strike a deal, they'll have a new star outfielder that can help the current club push for a World Series, while also potentially sticking around for the long haul if the union goes as planned.

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.