The Blue Jays should go all-in on Orioles' Gunnar Henderson if he is available

With a split between shortstop Gunnar Henderson and the Baltimore Orioles appearing more likely with each passing day, the Toronto Blue Jays shouldn’t hesitate to trade for the young star if and when he becomes available. 

Henderson hasn’t performed up to his ability over the past two seasons, but he remains one of the most tantalizingly talented infielders in the sport. He can hit for power, run the bases, and play good defence at the most important position on the diamond. 

The real question isn’t whether the Blue Jays would be interested—it’s whether the Orioles would ship him to an AL East rival. And, more importantly, what would he cost?

Why should the Blue Jays trade for Gunnar Henderson? 

The only reason the Orioles would consider trading Henderson is that they don’t think they can afford to keep him when he hits free agency after the 2028 season, when he'll likely command hundreds of millions of dollars. 

In their defence, Henderson didn’t play like someone deserving of that kind of money in 2026. He hit 24 home runs with a .715 OPS (102 OPS+) that was right around league average. He stole just 10 bases. Yet he was still worth 3.6 fWAR—which would have been tops among Blue Jays position players, for comparison’s sake. 

If this kind of season was the floor, Henderson showed everyone in 2024 that his ceiling is that of an MVP candidate. He finished fourth in the voting that year with 37 home runs, 21 stolen bases, and a ridiculous 7.9 fWAR. He was almost a five-win player in 2025 despite ‘regressing’ to a wRC+ that was still 20% better than league average. 

Shortstops as good as Henderson don’t become available very often. He would be an astronomical upgrade over Andrés Giménez on the Blue Jays, and give them a left-handed bat to pair with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for at least the next two seasons. 

But what would he cost? The short answer is a lot, especially since the Orioles would likely demand more from an AL East team in trade negotiations. The Blue Jays would probably need to make an offer too good to refuse to get a deal done. 

The conversation would probably start with JoJo Parker. While the thought of trading such an exciting young prospect away is stomach-churning, it’s quite possible he never becomes a perennial four-to-five win player like Henderson. This could be the perfect time to sell high on a promising asset and acquire a proven star coming off a down season. 

The American League was a joke in 2026; the Blue Jays are just a few moves away from competing in 2027. Henderson is exactly the kind of swing they should be making with eyes on returning to the World Series. He could be Guerrero’s co-star.

Is a Henderson trade to the Blue Jays likely? Hardly. But if the Orioles start shopping him around this winter, Toronto needs to do its due diligence—crazier deals have happened.

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