Blue Jays: Trade market refresher, who is available at a cost the Jays can meet?

Things have been gone back to radio silent on most fronts for the Toronto Blue Jays, including the free agent and trade markets. It's a long offseason though and Ross Atkins and Co. have made it known that multiple avenues are being explored, primarily to shore up the offense.

The club dealt Teoscar Hernández early in the offseason in exchange for a high-end relief pitcher and a starting pitching prospect.

In free agency, the highlights have included bringing Chris Bassitt aboard on a three-year deal and signing defensive wizard Kevin Kiermaier to a single-year pact.

After that? The club re-signed utilityman Vinny Capra to a minor league contract.

While there has been such a heavy discussion on which free agents the Blue Jays could sign and which names they missed out on (see Brandon Nimmo, Cody Bellinger, Michael Brantley, etc.), there are still plenty of interesting trade chips out there that the Jays could realistically land.

C/OF Daulton Varsho, Arizona Diamondbacks

The Daulton Varsho experience has been a great one so far. He quietly emerged as one of the most versatile players in Major League Baseball last year, playing well above-average defense in center and right field while also suiting up behind the plate (although he has stated a preference to move to the outfield on a full-time basis).

Varsho, 26, is not going to be a free agent until the conclusion of the 2026 season and has done everything he can to jump into the "most exciting player in baseball" conversation. In 151 games last year, he hit 27 home runs, drove in 74, stole 16 bases and was ultimately worth 4.9 bWAR.

The only issue here, is the cost to acquire him. Yes, the Diamondbacks have too many left-handed hitting outfielders and would like to deal from the surplus, but that does not mean that they are just going to give someone like Varsho away.

OF Jake McCarthy, Arizona Diamondbacks

Jake McCarthy came seemingly out of nowhere last year and was a very solid diamond in the rough find for the Diamondbacks. In 99 games for the club, he hit eight home runs, stole 23 bases, posted an OPS+ of 118 and finished fourth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.

McCarthy is not quite the defender Varsho is and his bat is likely not going to come anywhere close Varsho's either. McCarthy is, however, a year younger and won't be a free agent until the end of the 2028 season.

For clubs inquiring on the asking price for the Diamondbacks' outfielders, McCarthy will likely command a smaller return than Varsho or, say, Alek Thomas, whose name has been thrown around in the rumor mill but I don't see being moved.