The Toronto Blue Jays have a strong outfield and designated hitter combination, but there is still a clear gap in one of their corner-outfield spots. With the Blue Jays just three and a half games back of the New York Yankees for the American League East lead, the Blue Jays have all the reason to acquire a corner outfielder to bolster their offense.
According to an article from Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report, the Blue Jays will be buyers. Reuter named the corner outfielder as the Blue Jays’ top need.
Reuter wrote, “With Anthony Santander and George Springer splitting their time between right field and designated hitter, the Blue Jays have a major offensive void at the other outfield corner that they’ll need to address if they decide to buy. Rookie Alan Roden leads the way with 19 starts in left field, but he is hitting just .178/.262/.260 for a 50 OPS+ in 84 plate appearances.”
Adding a corner outfielder won’t be easy, as there are plenty of teams also looking for outfield help. But for the Blue Jays, the market is rife with options that would be an upgrade over their current rotation in the outfield.
The Best Fit For Toronto
The most intriguing name on the market for the Blue Jays is Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward. Ward has just one year left of arbitration, and the Angels are looking to move off the veteran outfielder.
Ward is under contract for $7,825,000 for 2025 and will likely see a raise for 2026. It’s a great fit for Toronto. Adding Ward would give the Blue Jays their starting left fielder for the next two seasons.
So far in 2025, Ward has a .186 batting average with 10 home runs and 30 hits across 161 at-bats. While his offensive numbers are down, Ward has a history of being an above-average hitter. In 2022, Ward had an OPS+ of 134, and in 2024, his OPS+ was 110.
His 75 OPS+ through the first 41 games of 2025 isn’t up to his standards. But Ward has still shown solid power. In Toronto, Ward could see an uptick in his offensive production back to his 2022 levels.
Why The Angels Would Do It
In Reuters’ article, he brings up Ward as a name that could be on the move for the Angels. He wrote, “Tyler Anderson, Taylor Ward, and Luis Rengifo were all popular names on the rumor mill last summer, and all three are potential trade candidates once again this year after staying put.”
Ward was one of the names on the trade market during the 2024 trade deadline. According to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, Ward was expected to be traded at the 2024 trade deadline. While he wasn’t traded in 2024, he will be on the block again in 2025.
The Angels have been open to dealing with Ward before. With his slow start to 2025, they could move him more easily than in years prior. With Ward’s slow start, he also won’t cost as much as other corner outfield options. Ward would likely cost one of the Blue Jays’ top-30 prospects, but none inside the top 10.
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