The Toronto Blue Jays had a spectacular MLB season as they were crowned American League champions, although they were defeated by the Dodgers in the World Series. They have come to the conclusion that if they want to be a title contender, they cannot allow old problems to continue to hold them back, which has led them to correct the weaknesses of 2025 and open the door to negotiations for important players within their current squad.
One of the triggers for Toronto’s internal moves was the recent evaluation of the Blue Jays’ outfield, so Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon explained that one of the ways Toronto can add a reliever is by trading one of its less talented outfielders.
The outfielders who could leave the Toronto Blue Jays for next MLB season
The pressure on the outfielders began when Toronto began to seriously explore the possibility of acquiring Kyle Tucker, a move that immediately set off alarm bells because someone would have to leave to make salary and sporting space.
Nathan Lukes was in the spotlight after a tremendous campaign of 12 home runs and 65 runs batted in. On the other hand, Myles Straw offers a different profile with solid defense, a .280 average and more than 250 innings of reliability in the outfield. Finally, there is Joey Loperfido, a young talent who hit .333 with four home runs and 14 RBIs in a short time in the majors, being one of the candidates to leave to accelerate a key trade.
Toronto Blue Jays prepare for extreme scenarios in MLB market
While the Blue Jays are evaluating roster exits, they have also begun to work on what could come if they manage to secure their main targets because Bo Bichette is nearing free agency and Kyle Tucker’s value has skyrocketed to $300-400 million so they don’t have much leeway to wait around.
That’s why the Toronto organization is already looking at potential replacements and according to Jon Heyman, Toronto is in talks with Arizona for Ketel Marte, who is under contract until 2030 and is coming off three spectacular seasons in which he has accumulated a 15.3 WAR, making him the best option for the Blue Jays if Bichette wants to leave.
Time is running out for the Toronto Blue Jays as they will soon have to make important decisions that will have an immediate impact on a team that achieved great things in 2025 and wants to repeat in 2026, even if it means parting with its most beloved players.
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