The Toronto Blue Jays have been one of the most aggressive teams this offseason, and that isn’t expected to change.
The Blue Jays have added Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce this offseason and now could look to bolster their offense. Toronto has been linked to Kyle Tucker and bringing back Bo Bichette, but the team could also look at the trade market.
Toronto has been linked as a potential suitor for Arizona Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte, but the cost would be high. Blue Jays insider Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet believes the trade package would have to include Trey Yesavage.
“What I’ve been able to gather here it seems like the prospect cost would be substantial. And it would start with young pitching,” Nicholson-Smith said on The Fan Pregame on Sportsnet. “Logically, if you are Arizona and you want young pitching and you are giving up a core player, I would think the name Trey Yesavage comes up.”
Nicholson-Smith believes the trade package would include other prospects, but it would be led by Yesavage, which he isn’t sure the Blue Jays would do
But, Toronto will likely continue checking in with the Diamondbacks on Marte to see if the asking price will drop or not.
Marte just completed the first year of his six-year, $116.5 million deal. He hit .283 with 28 home runs and 72 RBIs last season with Arizona.
Diamondbacks Listening on Marte
Marte is a star infielder, and several teams are interested in him.
The infielder’s name has come up as a potential trade candidate. Diamondbacks’ general manager, Mike Hazen, said at the Winter Meetings that nothing has changed on the trade front. But the team continues to listen.
“Nothing’s really changed all that much,” Hazen said. “As you get into these meetings, things generally pick up. I think that’s probably been the case here for us with a few of our players in the trade market. I’m still of the position that I feel like we’re going to end up in the same spot that we were coming into this. But we don’t know.
“I’ve said this before, I just feel like it’s my responsibility, our responsibility, to at least engage with the market and listen to what teams have to say. And you know, we’ll see where that goes over the next couple of days.”
Marte is a three-time MLB All-Star and was the NLCS MVP in 2022. He’s also a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner.
Blue Jays GM Looking to be Active
Toronto has already been one of the most aggressive teams this offseason, and general manager Ross Atkins isn’t done.
Atkins spoke to reporters at the Winter Meetings and said more players want to play for the Blue Jays, which is a positive sign for the offseason.
“There’s been a trajectory,” Atkins said. “It started before I was here, where it’s such an impressive market, impressive city, impressive nation. And an exciting brand of baseball. Over time, lots of people — most importantly, ownership — have poured resources into the Toronto Blue Jays. Over time, it’s become more attractive. When you take the body of work and put it on the biggest stage of baseball, then there’s more attention and that turns into momentum.”
Toronto has been linked to the likes of Tucker, Bichette, and Marte.
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