Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins will have to get creative to improve his roster this offseason. The club is coming off a disappointing 2026 season and looking to rebuild quickly. Free agency, however, could be a difficult avenue for Toronto to explore. This year’s class is fairly weak, and the top players will be heavily pursued by several teams.
As a result, Bleacher Report’s Zachary Rymer has explored ways the Blue Jays can improve via the trade market. The reporter initially claimed that Atkins would likely love to offload players on bad contracts. This includes Andrés Giménez and Anthony Santander. Atkins previously acquired Giménez from the Cleveland Guardians on a $106.5 million contract. Santander was signed by Toronto to a $92.5 million deal.
Nevertheless, as Rymer points out, these players will be tough to trade. With this in mind, the reporter claimed that Ernie Clement is Toronto’s top trade asset. Despite struggling early in his Major League Baseball career, the versatile infielder found a home with the Toronto Blue Jays. In fact, he has a combined 9.5 WAR over the last three seasons and was named to the 2026 American League All-Star team.
Despite this, Clement showed signs of slowing down this past season. For instance, the veteran recently posted his worst batting average, slugging, and OPS during his time in Toronto. He has also not nailed down a full-time starting spot in the field. Because of this, Rymer claims that Clement “is more of a nice guy to have than the All-Star starter he was this year.”
Ernie Clement’s Versatility Could Help the Toronto Blue Jays Find a Trade Partner
The Toronto Blue Jays paid Clement just $4.6 million in 2026. Nevertheless, the player’s salary is projected to rise to around $7.6 million for next season. Because he still has two more years of arbitration remaining, the versatile slugger will not become an unrestricted free agent until after the 2028 campaign.
This contract situation, however, could work in Toronto’s favor. Another club could look to add Clement’s versatility, while also keeping costs down. The veteran has typically been deployed at second base for the Blue Jays, but he can play several other positions. In fact, he has MLB experience in all four infield roles, while also receiving some playing time in left field.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of several teams likely looking for a versatile player. L.A. is set to lose both Miguel Rojas and Kiké Hernández and is already being linked to Mauricio Dubon. This is also not the first time that the Toronto Blue Jays have been linked to offloading Clement. MLB Trade Rumors also recently included the versatile veteran in their list of potential offseason trade candidates.
Toronto Already Linked to Other Second Basemen
Assuming the Toronto Blue Jays do offload Clement, they would be looking for a new second baseman. While the current free agent class is fairly thin, there are some key players available in this position. Pittsburgh Pirates star Brandon Lowe would seemingly be a solid fit for Atkins. In fact, the star slugger has even already been linked to Toronto. Jazz Chisholm Jr. could also be pursued by the Blue Jays in the coming months.
Toronto Blue Jays All-Star Named Top Trade Candidate