The Toronto Blue Jays are in the midst of a critical offseason and could be looking for some additional power in the batting order.
The team has agreed on a $28.5 million salary for franchise star Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s final year of arbitration eligibility. If they are unable to extend that contract, this would be the team’s final season with their homegrown first baseman before he hits free agency.
As a result, the Blue Jays could be seeking another slugger to pair with Guerrero as well as star shortstop Bo Bichette before losing one or both of them after the 2025 season. Lyndon Suvanto of Sportskeeda proposed a trade target that would bring in that type of player, listing the Blue Jays as a top landing spot for Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis García.
“After missing out on nearly every free agent they had shown interest in, the Blue Jays could look to the trade market to help improve their offense,” Suvanto wrote. “It remains to be seen what the cost would be for Toronto to acquire García. However, his home run upside could help bolster the lineup around Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette.”
García is a two-time All-Star and Gold Glove Award winner who has slashed .239/.298/.451 in his six-year big league career. He had a relatively down 2024 campaign, but still swatted 25 homers and 85 RBI for the Rangers.
He’s now entering the final season of a two-year, $14 million contract with one more year of arbitration eligibility ahead for 2026. Depending on how the Rangers view the future of García’s earnings, they might be interested in trading him away in the right deal, particularly as they have some potential right-field replacements on hand already.
“Even though the counting numbers were still solid, the Rangers are deep in the outfield and could look to move on from the veteran slugger and his $9,250,000 contract ahead of the new season,” Suvanto added. “If García is available on the trade market, he could draw plenty of interest from teams looking to bolster their outfield.”
The addition of García would force the Blue Jays to shuffle their own outfield, with left fielder Joey Loperfido potentially the odd man out. Starting right fielder George Springer saw a rough 2024, and depending how he bounces back for 2025, he might also be due for some kind of position change.
In any case, as the Blue Jays get increasingly desperate to pair some kind of impact addition alongside Guerrero and Bichette for what seems to be a critical season, trading for a slugger like García could be one of the few options still remaining.
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