5 top prospects the Blue Jays could trade next

Addison Barger (6th)

For Addison Barger, he had been one of the fastest rising players in the organization in the past couple of years as he began in High-A at the beginning of last year and actually rose right up to Triple-A by the end of the season. Building upon his 2022 success, he had a promising Spring Training with the Jays that almost landed him a roster spot on the Opening Day roster, until he was edged out by Nathan Lukes at the end.

As a result, Barger went back to Triple-A Buffalo to start the year and so far has produced an underwhelming season that has been marred in part by an elbow injury early in the season in April. In 44 games with Buffalo, he has hit .236 with a .725 OPS, with 30 runs scored, five home runs and 20 RBI. Nevertheless, Barger still possesses immense potential, as he had been also named by Mark Feinsand of MLB.com as the Jays’ top trade chip. In addition, he was included in a potential Jays’ trade package for Shohei Ohtani as proposed by FOX Sports, had the Jays had a shot at the Japanese two-way superstar. With Ohtani now off the table, perhaps Barger can be included in another package to land another superstar to join the Jays at the trade deadline.

Otto Lopez (14th)

We had mentioned in an article earlier that Otto Lopez could be a valuable trade chip at the trade deadline for the Blue Jays. After all, he could play multiple positions in the infield and outfield, along with a good-contact bat that could play well in the major leagues once he gets there. In addition, The Athletic (subscription required) also named Lopez as the most likely prospects from the Jays’ organization to be traded at the deadline. For the 2023 season with Buffalo, Lopez has hit a respectable .251 with 45 runs scored, eight doubles, five triples, two home runs, 31 RBI and 12 stolen bases.

Obviously, Lopez himself will not probably land a big name for the Jays in any transaction, but he definitely can make a difference as the package sweetener to entice potential teams to give up their prized asset. With Lopez being also a Canadian, it would be disappointing for many Canadian fans that have waited for him to develop and finally reach the big leagues, but if giving up Lopez helps the Jays have postseason success, it may be worth the sacrifice in the end.