Report: Blue Jays Targeting These 5 Players for Trade

According to Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet, the Toronto Blue Jays are going to be in the trade market this offseason and there's several names we could see coming up as targets.

Zwelling lists five potential under-the-radar type of players the team could be looking to add as Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro has made it loud and clear the team is going for a World Series next season. 

The trade targets include Elieser Hernandez of the Miami Marlins who is a 26-year-old pitcher who has a 3.84 ERA in 77.1 innings since 2020. Perhaps a catcher would be going the other way according to Zwelling. 

Kyle Hendricks of the Chicago Cubs was another name that made the list. The change up specialist is on the books for $14 million the next two seasons and the Cubs who are now rebuilding could look to the Blue Jays for some future considerations. 

Houston Astros starter Jake Odorizzi is someone to look out for. He's battled some minor injuries which could be leading to the dip in production, however he's certainly someone on the Blue Jays radar at this point. Odorizzi wouldn't cost much in any trade as Houston would likely be willing to move his services.

Merrill Kelly of the Arizona Diamondbacks was also named and is a player not many are familiar with. Kelly's spent time playing in Korea and he's under contract for $5.25 million in 2022 which is something Toronto can easily afford. Kelly has pitched in 372.2 innings since 2019 and the 33-year-old would be an under the radar type of addition that could pay off in a big way.

Lastly, Zwelling names Chad Kuhl of the Pittsburgh Pirates as a trade target. The Pirates have nobody under a guaranteed contract for 2022 which seems rather bizarre. The starter turned reliever could be a low-key name that has a high ceiling of potential to make an impact in Toronto.

Blue Jays management has made one thing clear, they are going to do whatever they can to improve the ball club. They won't be re-signing players just for the sake of bringing them back, management is only interested in moves that are going to upgrade the roster.

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