First legitimate Blue Jays trade rumor of 2024 has Toronto shockingly buying

This year's version of the Toronto Blue Jays have not exactly started the year the way anyone thought they would. At 26-29, they're under .500, in the basement of the AL East and are a whopping 11 games out of first place in the division.

This is without mentioning the fact that they're 18 in baseball in batting average, 20th in slugging, 22nd in home runs and 23rd in runs scored. Things just are not clicking right now.

All of these early season struggles have led many in the industry to put together Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette trade packages and we still haven't even hit June. While a sell-off is entirely possible in the next few months, one MLB insider claims that the Jays are instead turning their attention to the trade market ... as buyers.

MLB insider claims Blue Jays interested in Rockies slugger

According to MLB Network's Jon Morosi, the Blue Jays are among the teams interested in Ryan McMahon of the Colorado Rockies (X link). McMahon, 29, swings it from the left side, has a ton of pop and brings defensive versatility to the field that the Blue Jays are known to covet.

Morosi indicates that the Rockies may not be inclined to move on from McMahon, who is currently playing out a six-year contract extension that will see him hit free agency at the conclusion of the 2026 season. In 55 games this year, he's got 10 home runs and 34 RBI with a 134 OPS+. McMahon has always been a power hitter but this offensive output is on pace to easily shatter career-highs across the board for him.

Defensively, the eight-year veteran has extensive experience at first, second and third base, but he's solely lined up at the hot corner in 2024. Not by coincidence, third base also happens to be one of the positions the Blue Jays need an upgrade at. Whether the Rockies are currently willing to move McMahon or not, he is a player that would move the needle a bit for Toronto.

Of the 13 players on the Blue Jays who have at least 20 plate appearances this year, only five of them have a wRC+ over 100, which is league-average. Of those, one of them - Isiah Kiner-Falefa - has lined up at third base. The utilityman has bounced around and spent time at shortstop and second as well, but Justin Turner and Ernie Clement are other third base options that have just not gotten it done.

McMahon's Baseball Savant page is filled with red, meaning he's been excelling in multiple different spots this year with the bat. He's in the 80th percentile or above in xwOBA, xBA, xSLG, AVG Exit Velocity, Barrel % and Hard-Hit %. Simply translated, he's been squaring up the ball and hitting the snot out of it all year long.

Should the Blue Jays decline to accept an outright "rebuild" at this year's deadline, swinging a deal for McMahon would be a great way to show that they intend to bounce back before the season comes to a close. Now, it's just a matter of piecing together a package that could entice the Rockies.