Looking at whether or not Josh Naylor is a fit for the Blue Jays

Of course, it should be taken with a grain of salt, but there is precedent for the Blue Jays trading multiple times with teams. As you know, the Jays acquired Andrés Giménez from the Guardians last week. There have been multiple times in the past few years where the Jays have made multiple trades with one team.

For example, they made three trades with the St. Louis Cardinals before the 2023 trade deadline. Not only that, but they usually trade with the Miami Marlins for relievers (2021 and 2022), the Athletics for third basemen (2014 and 2022), and spot relievers from the Los Angeles Dodgers (2020 and 2022).

Last season Naylor, who is a Mississauga native, slashed .243/.320/.456 with a career-high 31 home runs in 633 plate appearances, with a 9.2 BB% and a 16.6 K%. The 27-year-old finished with a 118 wRC+ and a 2.7 fWAR.

His career year was in 2023, where he slashed .308/.354/.489 with 17 home runs in 495 plate appearances, with a 6.7 BB% and a 13.7 K%. Moreover, he finished with a career-best 127 wRC+ and a 2.7 fWAR. 

However, the million dollar question is whether or not there’s a fit for Naylor on the Jays. Like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, Naylor is set to become a free agent at the end of the season. According to MLB Trade Rumors, Naylor is projected to earn $12 million in his final season of arbitration.

Guerrero Jr. is undoubtedly the Blue Jays’ primary first baseman. However, he’s said himself that he’s open to moving to third base if need be, given that’s the position he grew up playing, and even played the hot corner in his first season back in 2019. Guerrero Jr. played 12 games at the hot corner in 2024 with 1 Outs Above Average in 100 innings, improving drastically on the -20 Outs Above Average he had at the position in 2019. 

Even if the Blue Jays want to keep Guerrero Jr. at first, Naylor would slide in nicely to fill the designated hitter role with the pop in his bat, while playing at first base when needed. It’s an interesting idea, but the Blue Jays are likely better served to add an outfielder such as Teoscar Hernández or Anthony Santander through free agency rather than giving up assets in a trade.

Moreover, there’s a better left-handed batting designated hitter available in free agency – Joc Pederson. Last season, he slashed .275/.393/.515 with 23 home runs with the Arizona Diamondbacks, finishing the season with a 151 wRC+ and a 3 fWAR.

It feels like only a matter of time before the Jays make a big move, as they can’t go two consecutive off-seasons with minimal additions.