Detroit Tigers Trade Rumors: Jeimer Candelario being targeted

Jeimer Candelario Trade Destination Number 3: Toronto Blue Jays

Was that last trade a bit too much for you? Maybe this one will feel a bit more realistic. The Toronto Blue Jays have 3/4 of a spectacular infield right now. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leads all first basemen (and all hitters period) with 5.1 WAR. Marcus Semien tops all second basemen with 4.3 WAR, and Bo Bichette is in the top five among shortstops. But Toronto’s third basemen aren’t pulling their weight. Santiago Espinal makes tons of contact, but doesn’t do much damage and he rarely walks, while Cavan Biggio walks plenty but doesn’t make enough contact. Jeimer Candelario would settle in nicely at third base and lengthen Toronto’s bench by allowing them to mix and match with Espinal and Biggio. The Blue Jays added to their bullpen by trading for Brad Hand, but they still need more help, and Jose Cisnero would be an instant upgrade.

This one is pretty close to our fake Robbie Grossman trade from last week, but Candelario is more valuable than Grossman, so we added a couple more bodies to this deal. The idea remains the same, though. Toronto’s farm system is absolutely flush with infielders, and we’ve already discussed their terrific big-league core. Kevin Smith is having an outstanding season in Triple-A, batting .293 with 18 home runs, 13 steals, and career best strikeout and walk rates. Hiraldo is a 20-year-old holding his own in Low-A ball with a chance for above-average hit and power tools at maturity, while Taylor is 23-year-old utility type having a power spike in Double-A, and Hernandez is a reliever with a good changeup and terrific strikeout rates in the low minors. There’s no sure bet in this group for the Tigers, but Smith and Hiraldo have interesting upside, and these are the sort of quantity-over-quality deal teams seem to be making these days.