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

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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.

OF Bryan Reynolds, Pittsburgh Pirates

In 2022 as a member of the last place Pittsburgh Pirates, Bryan Reynolds hit 27 home runs and posted a 126 OPS+. His Statcast page shows a lot of red which is a good sign for his trade value. He ranked in the 80th percentile in arm strength, 75th in sprint speed, 66th in HardHit% and 91st in max exit velocity.

There are very few holes in Reynolds' game which is exactly why the Pirates are reportedly asking for a massive haul in return. Of course, Reynolds putting in a formal trade request to the club undoubtedly puts pressure on the front office but so far, the club has inisisted that a trade is not a guarantee.

While the Pirates have some exciting catching prospects coming up through the system, one of them (Endy Rodriguez) has begun a sort of transformation to a utilityman role, meaning there's at least something of a possibility that the Jays could dangle Alejandro Kirk or Danny Jansen as the centerpiece in a trade for Reynolds.

OF Ian Happ, Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs don't need to trade Ian Happ, but it has long seemed a high probability they would before he got too expensive.

Happ, 28, made the All-Star team and won a Gold Glove for his play in left field last year and is another strong, switch-hitting outfielder that the Jays would love to welcome aboard.

In 158 contests last season, Happ hit 17 home runs with 72 RBI and a 119 OPS+. Baseball-Reference had him worth 4.4 WAR on the year with a career-high 1.0 dWAR (Defensive Wins Above Replacement) in left.

While Happ is one of the better left fielders in the game, it's my honest opinion that he would command the smallest haul in a potential trade for any of the outfielders mentioned so far (except maybe McCarthy), mostly because he is set to hit free agency at the conclusion of the upcoming season.

RHP Pablo López, Miami Marlins

Pablo López is going to command quite the return in a potential deal, one that Blue Jays fans may get a bit nervous at. There's no denying though, he is one of the best starting pitchers out there and ace-caliber pitchers don't come across the trade market all the time.

For reference, the Dodgers pursued López at the 2022 trade deadline and the ask was promising infielder Gavin Lux as well as three high-end prospects. When the Yankees called Miami, Gleyber Torres was the ask as well as high-end prospects of their own.

It's not that López isn't worth such a haul, because he just might be. In 32 starts for the Marlins last year, he went 10-10 with a 3.75 ERA and 108 ERA+. He has consistently been above the 100 ERA+ threshold over the past three seasons, meaning he is a well above-average pitcher. He does a solid job at limiting walks and strikes out a lot of batters.

Purely for speculation purposes, I'd think a package starting with Alejandro Kirk and Orelvis Martinez may get the Marlins' attention, but more pieces would need to be added.

RHP Liam Hendriks, Chicago White Sox

Wait, what? Yes, the White Sox are apparently willing to listen to trade offers for their star closer Liam Hendriks, who happens to be a former Blue Jay.

Hendriks, 33, has undergone a complete career makeover over the years. Starting off as a failed starting pitcher, he became a late-inning weapon and has most recently become one of the best closers in the game.

Last year, the Australian-born relief ace made his third career All-Star Game in a season that saw him make 58 appearances and earn 37 saves. His 2.81 ERA and 142 ERA+ were both significantly above-average and backed up his legitimacy as one of the best closers in the league.

The White Sox could certainly use a catcher, as Yasmani Grandal's offense and defense put together made him not only one of the worst backstops in the league, but one of the worst players period.

It's not a guarantee that the Blue Jays even deal a catcher. Up to this point, the media has fueled the fire on those talks a lot more than the Jays' front office has. However, if the club is serious on improving their offense (primarily in the outfield), one of these trade targets is a damn good place to start.

Next. Old friend Anthony Alford finding success in Korea. dark

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