MLB Trade Rumors has put two familiar Blue Jays names on the board as possible winter trade chips, and both are the kind of players fans would rather not see moved. In its Top 40 trade candidates list for the 2026-27 offseason, Toronto’s Ernie Clement and Nathan Lukes landed in the “Others to Watch” group.
That alone makes the idea feel a little jarring. Clement and Lukes have both been useful pieces for most of the last two seasons, and neither has been the sort of player a team casually gives away.
Clement has hit close to .260 with a strikeout rate of 10% since 2024, while Lukes has put together double-digit home run seasons with OPS marks of .730 in 2025 and .715 in 2026. Both have also earned recognition for their gloves, with Clement nominated for multiple Gold Glove awards in 2025 and Lukes getting a Gold Glove nomination in right field two years in a row.
Still, the roster math could end up working against them.
Clement’s 2026 season split sharply in two. After a strong first half that earned him his first All-Star nod, the 30-year-old infielder stumbled badly after the break, batting .182 with an OPS of .442. Over his final 51 games, he scored 14 runs, hit one home run and drove in 13 RBIs.
His defense also slipped some in 2026. After back-to-back seasons as a Gold Glove finalist, Clement finished with a -2 Defensive Runs Saved at second base, a .966 fielding percentage at third base and a -5 Outs Above Average. With power-hitting infield options like Brandon Lowe available on the free agent market this offseason, Toronto could decide to look for an upgrade at second base before 2027.
Lukes’ situation is different. He hasn’t done much wrong on the field, but the Blue Jays’ outfield picture is getting crowded. Anthony Santander and Addison Barger are expected back from the injured list, and Brett Bateman’s emergence has added another layer to the mix.
There’s also the fit issue. Santander can hit from both sides of the plate, while Barger is a left-handed bat like Lukes.
That overlap could leave one of them without a clear everyday role. On top of that, Toronto is said to be looking for an outfield power bat such as Seiya Suzuki or Randy Arozarena, which would only tighten the squeeze.
If the Blue Jays are going to make the kind of significant changes they need this winter to get back into contention, these are the sorts of moves that could come with it. Clement and Lukes may not be the most popular names to surface in trade chatter, but they also rank among Toronto’s most movable big-league assets.
In Other News...
Blue Jays Could Face A Tough New Roster Decision Soon
A new labor wrinkle could soon reach the Blue Jays roster planning, with MLB owners proposing a change that would let some players hit free agency after five years of service time instead of six, provided they turn 30 before Nov. 1. The idea is part of a larger package that also includes a salary cap and floor, a broader push the Players Association has already opposed, but the service-time tweak alone would alter how clubs think about mid-career players and long-term control.
For Toronto, the timing matters because a rule like this could move up the point at which certain players become available on the open market, changing the calculus on extensions, roster construction and even trade value. The Blue Jays have several players whose timelines could be affected if the proposal ever becomes reality, and that kind of shift can quickly turn a manageable front-office detail into a tougher decision than it looked a year ago. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Suddenly Face An Anthony Santander Problem Beyond Baseball
Anthony Santanders first months with the Blue Jays have already become more complicated than anyone expected, and not because of anything happening on the field. The veteran outfielder drew backlash after reposting anti-Muslim videos on Instagram, a move that prompted the club to issue a statement distancing itself from his comments and underscoring how quickly a baseball story can spill into a far bigger one.
For Toronto, the issue is especially awkward because Santander is not just another roster piece. He is also dealing with injury concerns, and the financial commitment attached to him makes the situation far less straightforward than a simple disciplinary matter. While the front office continues sorting through roster details elsewhere, including a new option year for Jake Bloss and some encouraging prospect news in the Arizona Fall League, the Santander situation is the one that now hangs over the organization. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Are Being Linked To A Risky October-Changing Bat
The Blue Jays are at least doing their homework on one of the more intriguing bats in this winters market, with Randy Arozarena surfacing as a possible free-agent fit. Toronto has been hunting for ways to deepen its offense, and Arozarena makes sense as the kind of player who can change the tone of a lineup when he is locked in. He also arrives with a recent season that showed he can still produce at a high level, which is why he figures to draw plenty of attention once the market opens.
The appeal is obvious, even if the fit comes with some risk. Arozarenas postseason track record gives him a reputation as a player built for October pressure, but the glove has not always matched the bat, and that makes him a more complicated investment for a club trying to balance upside with reliability. For the Blue Jays, the question is whether they want to pay for the kind of impact that can swing a playoff series, knowing the rest of the profile is not quite as clean. [Read more 🡒]