Blue Jays Rumors: Valenzuela, Clement, Smith, Schneider, Pitching

The hot stove is warming up. The Blue Jays haven’t made a big move yet but the buzz on them continues to be that they’re exploring just about everything. Mitch Bannon of The Athletic as well as Ben-Nicholson Smith and Shi Davidi of Sportsnet have details on some of the various things that are up in the air with the club. Bannon notes that the Jays are getting some trade interest in catcher Brandon Valenzuela. Bannon doesn’t specify which clubs are calling but notes that the Reds have had previous interest. Valenzuela had an encouraging debut this year, getting into 91 games for the Jays. He made 271 plate appearances and hit .222/.307/.372. That translates to a 93 wRC+, indicating he was 7% worse than the league average hitter. Catchers are usually 10 to 12% below par, so that’s actually decent production, especially for a backup. Valenzuela also received strong grades for his glovework. FanGraphs credited him with 2.1 wins above replacement. The Jays could certainly keep Valenzuela as backup to Alejandro Kirk. However, if some other club considers him to be a viable everyday catcher and is willing to pay for him accordingly in terms of a trade return, it could be worth Toronto’s while. In theory, the Jays could flip Valenzuela for a bat or an arm or a package of players and then turn to free agency to find a backup for Kirk. Elsewhere, Bannon mentions that there’s some trade interest for infielder Ernie Clement and infielder/outfielder Davis Schneider. There are a few moving pieces in Toronto’s infield/bench situation. They have been connected to various middle infield targets already this offseason, including Brandon Lowe, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and plenty of others. The Jays had Andrés Giménez and Clement as their primary middle infielders this year. If they add an external option, that could push Clement into a short-side platoon role with Giménez while also bouncing around to other spots. Bannon suggests that it may be difficult for both Clement and Josh Smith to hold down utility roles on the same roster. Both are multi-positional guys, Clement broadly with better defense while Smith has shown a higher offensive ceiling. Nicholson-Smith tweets that Smith played his way into the club’s plans with his performance after being acquired from the Rangers at the deadline. Smith slashed .184/.276/.408 as a Jay but with an unlucky .200 batting average on balls in play in that small sample. The 2026 season wasn’t his best but he hit .254/.336/.380 for a 107 wRC+ with the Rangers over 2024 and 2025. Both Smith and Clement are under club control through 2028. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Clement for a $7.6MM salary next year and Smith $3.7MM. Clement is out of options but Smith is not. In theory, the Jays could sign a second baseman, trade Clement and then have Smith take up some of Clement’s previous duties as a utility guy. Whether the Jays go down that road or not naturally depends on the trade offers and how their free agent pursuits play out. Schneider has shown some nice abilities at the plate, especially against lefties, but his offense is mercurial. He hit .234/.361/.436 in 2025 but just .145/.310/.315 in 2026. He is projected for a $1.3MM salary in arbitration and still has an option remaining. He has a bit of defensive versatility, eligible to move between second base and left field. The Jays are looking to upgrade both of those spots this winter. They could keep Schneider as a depth option but it makes sense to see if he has some trade value, especially if they make big additions. Turning to the pitching staff, the Jays are looking to make upgrades there, particularly in the rotation. They have Dylan Cease, Trey Yesavage and José Soriano in three spots but the options for the back end are more questionable. Bannon mentions Freddy Peralta as a guy the Jays have interest in, though he adds that he doesn’t appear to be a high priority for them. Bannon also mentions that the Jays would be open to reunions with Kevin Gausman, Max Scherzer or Shane Bieber. Nicholson-Smith and Davidi mention Michael Soroka and Kris Bubic as potential upside plays. Both pitchers are talented but prone to injuries. In theory, either one could provide big return on investment if he could stay healthy for a full season. Soroka tossed 116 innings this year, his highest tally since 2019. Various injuries sidelined him in the intervening seasons. This year’s work resulted in a 3.41 earned run average, 24.1% strikeout rate and 6.1% walk rate. Bubic has a 2.98 ERA, 25.5% strikeout rate, 8.1% walk rate and 48.6% ground ball rate over the past four seasons but has only thrown 217 2/3 innings over that span because of various injuries. MLBTR predicted Soroka for a two-year, $26MM deal with an opt-out while Bubic was predicted for a one-year deal worth $12.5MM. The Jays are one of the contenders in the Tarik Skubal bidding. It seems like Skubal plans to sign before the lockout arrives, so perhaps the Jays will wait to see how that plays out before seriously engaging other starters, but it makes sense to keep tabs on some fallback plans in case Skubal signs elsewhere. In the bullpen, Nicholson-Smith and Davidi mention Alex Vesia as a guy the Jays have shown interest in. Vesia is considered one of the top lefties available behind Adrián Morejón. Toronto’s bullpen is in decent shape, so it’s not a huge priority. However, it would be nice to add another southpaw so they wouldn’t have to rely so heavily on Mason Fluharty, who made 83 appearances this year. Photo courtesy of Dan Hamilton, Imagn Images