With a lockout lurking in less than a month, MLB teams are hurrying to complete what off-season business they can in the coming weeks before the sport is shut down for an indeterminate period. Meanwhile, a weak free-agent class means plenty of competition for the best players available.
That could force a number of trades between now and Dec. 1 as front offices look elsewhere to address roster needs — and there are plenty of intriguing trade candidates across the league.
Here are five who would be fits for the Toronto Blue Jays:
CJ Abrams
Coming off a breakout 30-30 season spent driving one of MLB’s highest-scoring offences, Abrams could be the most talented player moved this winter if the Washington Nationals decide to exchange some offence to shore up their run prevention. The 26-year-old is a tremendous athlete, combining bat speed, strength and speed on the basepaths into a dynamic, dangerous offensive package.
His biggest drawback comes defensively, where he’s graded as one of the game’s worst shortstops since entering the league in 2022. But the Blue Jays could lessen his defensive load by shifting him to second base alongside one of the game’s rangiest shortstops, Andres Gimenez, lessening Abrams’s downside while reaping the offensive impact he provides atop a lineup.
The price would understandably be sky high. Mid-20s middle infielders with this kind of juice aren’t often acquirable. The pitching-starved Nationals would no doubt be seeking at least one of Trey Yesavage, Nolan Perry or Johnny King in return. The competition would also be fierce, with the Dodgers, Red Sox, Braves and both New York teams all potential Abrams fits at either shortstop or second base.
Would it be wise for the Blue Jays to out-bid the field, sacrificing some of its most promising young pitching talent in exchange for only two guaranteed years of Abrams, who could reasonably seek terms somewhere between Willy Adames (seven years, $182 million) and Trea Turner (11 years, $300 million) in extension negotiations? That’s a momentous, potentially era-defining decision.
Could there be a more Blue Jays-coded player? A high-contact, low-chase hitter who sees as many pitches as anybody, walks more often than he strikes out and swipes double-digit bags annually, Kwan can cover all three outfield spots — most notably centre, where he played over 600 innings this season and received plus grades from a variety of defensive metrics.
The Blue Jays have a vacancy there, and while Brett Bateman placed himself firmly in Toronto’s 2027 outfield conversation with an impressive 41-game audition down the stretch, Kwan's five consecutive seasons of 3+ fWAR offer a great deal more certainty. Bateman would still provide plenty of value from the corners in optimal matchups while bringing speed and defence off the bench late in tight games and remaining ready to take on more consistent playing time if and when another outfielder misses time.
Kwan is projected to earn over $11 million in his final arbitration year, a sum the low-payroll Guardians could be motivated to offload while netting younger players in return before the 29-year-old hits free agency next winter. For the Blue Jays, Kwan would immediately become the club’s leadoff hitter and everyday centre fielder, complementing the addition of a more powerful bat in an outfield corner (Seiya Suzuki, Randy Arozarena) or at second base (Brandon Lowe, Jazz Chisholm Jr.). And the club could recoup some value with a qualifying offer after the season if it doesn’t extend Kwan's contract first.
Now that the banners and confetti from Milwaukee’s World Series parade have been swept away, it’s time for the franchise to remind its fans of the dispassionate process by which its sausage is made and trade a beloved closer entering his final season of club control.
Like Josh Hader and Devin Williams before him, Trevor Megill is likely to be moved this off-season as his value will never be higher. Milwaukee’s ownership has given us no reason to believe it’s about to reinvest a deep post-season run’s profits back into player payroll, allowing its front office to sign a relief pitcher of all things to a high-value, multi-year contract.
Meanwhile, if they intend to enter the season as realistic post-season contenders, the Blue Jays need a Jeff Hoffman replacement to round out their bullpen’s back end along with Louis Varland, Tyler Rogers and potentially Spencer Miles. Megill would fit the bill perfectly with high-octane stuff, massive chase and whiff rates, and oodles of late-game leverage experience.
The right-hander comes armed with the kind of riding, high-IVB (induced vertical break) fastball the Blue Jays have coveted in recent seasons and a wipeout curveball that’s generated a whiff half the time hitters have swung at it since 2023. And if Toronto’s pitching group can devise an effective strategy to either help Megill command his fastball more consistently at the height of the zone or develop a third pitch — a changeup or splitter could be particularly devastating against lefties — there’s reason to believe he could get even better.
Joe Ryan
The Twins have flirted with trading Ryan — a control-and-command right-hander with a deep arsenal and tricky vertical approach angle — for several seasons now, never finding the right return. But the pressure’s on this winter with Ryan only a season away from free agency and the Twins indicating they’ll aim to refresh their major-league roster for future seasons rather than enter a prolonged rebuild.
That opens the door for a trade involving big-leaguers on each side, one the Blue Jays could construct around any number of controllable position players such as Ernie Clement, Josh Smith, Nathan Lukes or Addison Barger. After Ryan’s miserable second-half — he pitched to a 5.02 ERA and 5.05 FIP over his final 11 starts while working around a glute issue — the Twins could look to move off of the approximately $9.6 million he’ll be owed this season in his final arbitration year.
Finding the right value for both clubs would be tricky, which is part of the reason why you don’t see too many exchanges of current MLB contributors around the league. But the Blue Jays have position-player depth to spare and could use a stabilizing, mid-rotation piece, opening a lane for mutual benefit.
Mlodzinski rocked the Pirates boat this May when he lost his rotation job upon Jared Jones’ return from injury, ending up on the restricted list before accepting a bulk bullpen role and finishing the season with a 3.95 ERA over 123 innings. It’s worth circling back on whether his very public discontent has motivated the Pirates to use Mlodzinski to address a roster need and give the deceptive right-hander a change of scenery in the process.
After all, with Paul Skenes, Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler, Mitch Keller and Jones all firmly ahead of him on the rotation depth chart, Mlodzinski finds himself on the outside looking in once again entering 2027. If the Pirates intend to take the next step following their first winning season in nearly a decade, they’ll need to acquire big-league talent via trade, lest they shock the world and dramatically increase player payroll.
Barger or former Pirates prospect Charles McAdoo could help Pittsburgh replace some of the infield pop they’re positioned to lose with Brandon Lowe’s departure. And Ricky Tiedemann could be a fit in a Pirates bullpen that currently lacks premium stuff from the left side beyond closer Mason Montgomery.
Meanwhile, in Mlodzinski, the Blue Jays would acquire a back-end starter with bulk relief experience who offers plenty of developmental opportunity within a seven-pitch arsenal. His best weapon is an 86-m.p.h. splitter with exceptional downward action — a pitch profile we know the Blue Jays covet for its platoon-neutral ability to generate whiffs and soft contact.
The 27-year-old is only a season removed from posting 76th percentile or higher marks in walk, barrel and groundball rate, demonstrating how effectively he can chew through innings when he’s on. A new environment with a pitching group offering fresh perspectives could be just what he needs to recapture that form.
