Fresh off coming oh-so-agonizingly close to a World Series title, the Toronto Blue Jays are not messing around in their efforts to return and finish the job next season. They made the first major free agent signing of the offseason by inking Dylan Cease and seem to be in the mix on practically every big ticket free agent and trade target.
The Blue Jays landed Cease without surrendering any assets (although they did pay a hefty sum), but going the trade route would not, of course, offer the same opportunity. Even with Cease in tow, the club remains linked to a possible deal for Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Ketel Marte and might explore the trade market for relief help.
Even with Toronto reportedly in on a reunion with Bo Bichette and/or another big free agent signing in the form of Kyle Tucker, they will surely have their eye on the trade market as they head into the winter meetings. Assuming that’s the case, they will need to give something to get something.
Here are some of the Blue Jays’ top assets that they could dangle in a potential trade:
Outfield Surplus
Toronto Blue Jays Daulton Varsho, Addison Barger and Nathan Lukes talk in the outfield during game six of the 2025 MLB World Series at Rogers Centre. | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
As any front office executive will tell you, trade from a position of strength. For Toronto, that could mean the outfield, where Daulton Varsho, Addison Barger, Nathan Lukes, Myles Straw, Davis Schneider and Joey Loperfido are all either under contract or team control. Throw in a few potential outfield starts needed for George Springer and/or Anthony Santander and you’ve got a major logjam.
Of the aforementioned glut of outfielders, Barger would likely carry the greatest trade value but probably isn’t going anywhere. Varsho, meanwhile, is the team’s defensive anchor in centerfield. Lukes and Straw are veteran journeymen who probably carry greater value for the Blue Jays than other teams looking in.
That leaves Schneider and Loperfido as the likeliest trade possibilities, with Loperfido serving as a particularly intriguing target to see if his impressive numbers in a small sample size (.333/.379/.879 in 96 at-bats last season) can be replicated with more opportunities at the big league level. Jonatan Clase struggled in a short stint in the majors, but could interest teams due to his age (he’s only 23).
Pitching Depth
Eric Lauer enjoyed a terrific 2025 season, but might be a victim of the numbers game with the Toronto Blue Jays for 2026. | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Suffice to say, Trey Yesavage quickly turned himself into an untouchable asset during his turn as a playoff phenom this past fall. And with Yesavage now a permanent fixture, Cease under contract and Shane Bieber having opted in, Toronto’s rotation appears pretty well set.
Assuming Berrios remains as the fifth starter (behind Yesavage, Cease, Bieber and Kevin Gausman), the front office can enter the spring without needing to address the club’s starting pitching any further. That leaves Eric Lauer and Bowden Francis as viable options, but also as potential trade bait.
If you look further down the farm system, 22-year-old right-hander Gage Stanifer excelled across three levels of minor league baseball for the Blue Jays organization (8-6, 2.86 ERA, 13.2 KO/9) and could be poised for a Yesavage-like jump to the majors.
Prospects
If the Toronto Blue Jays decide to go all-in on improving their roster for 2026, they could use top prospect Arjun Nimmala as trade bait. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
With Toronto firmly in win-now mode, weaponizing prospect capital becomes a viable option for addressing the big league roster. Although they don’t possess the most loaded farm system (MLB ranked their system 20th at mid-season last year – and that was before Yesavage’s promotion), there are some intriguing prospects who could be made available.
With Yesavage in the majors, infielders Jojo Parker and Arjun Nimmala – both top 100 MLB prospects – slot in as the cream of the crop. Not only do they present some positional redundancy, but their path to the big leagues may be blocked if Bichette re-signs on a long-term deal or if another middle infielder is brought in.
On the pitching front, Stanifer is quickly rising up the prospect ranks, while 19-year-old lefty Johnny King looked impressive in his first season of professional baseball (1-3, 2.48 ERA in 18 games) and Ricky Tiedemann remains a player to watch in his return from Tommy John surgery.
The Blue Jays may not have the tradable assets available to make a run at a major foundational star to pair with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but they do have specific areas to address, possible trade targets of interest and some pretty intriguing talent to offer without disrupting their core 2026 roster.
