Report: Christian Yelich remains on Blue Jays’ trade radar

The Toronto Blue Jays chances at outfielder Christian Yelich looked to have been slim, but it appears they could still be after him

In case you haven’t noticed, the Miami Marlins are in the middle of an overhaul of their roster something a lot of MLB teams like the Toronto Blue Jays are keeping their eyes on.

After selling off two of their core outfield pieces — Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna — the team is looking to move on from centre-fielder Christian Yelich now.

He made the switch from left-field to centre last season. Yelich hit .282, with 18 home runs, 81 RBI’s, and 36 doubles, which was ninth best in the NL.

This came on the heels of a 2016 season where Yelich won his first NL Silver Slugger Award and finished 19th in NL MVP voting.

On Tuesday, ESPN‘s Jerry Crasnick put out an article where he spoke to Yelich’s agent Joe Longo, who said that the star and the Marlins aren’t on the best terms:

"“They have a plan,” agent Joe Longo said. “I respect that plan, but that plan shouldn’t include Christian at this point in his career. He’s in the middle of the best years of his career, and having him be part of a 100-loss season is not really where [we] want to see him going.The relationship between player and team is irretrievably broken. It’s soured.”"

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Yelich certainly isn’t the only player to express his displeasure with the organization. J.T. Realmuto and Starlin Castro, who was acquired in the Stanton deal, have also spoken out about the less-than-ideal scenario Derek Jeter and co. have put the franchise in.

Multiple sources have said that as many as seven teams have inquired about the availability of Yelich recently. One of which was reportedly the Blue Jays.

It’s been no secret that the Jays have needed help in the outfield. Although, it seemed as though the ship had sailed on the team’s pursuit of the 26-year-old.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports joined Tim and Sid on Wednesday to discuss the prospects of the Jays going after Yelich:

"Yelich is a consistent .300 hitter, he’s coming into his power, and beyond that, he signed really cheap, and for a long time.He is one of the most valuable assets in baseball these days. But, these are the Marlins we’re talking about. They have a greater capacity than anyone in the game to do really stupid things.The Blue Jays have been on the good end of a lopsided superstar trade before. This would be the thing that could really invigorate them right now."

In the Jays case, that means they will be after one of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Bo Bichette. There’s no chance that the Jays could afford to lose their top prospect. But what about Bichette?

Although it would be a big blow to lose Bichette less than a year after he broke out as a top prospect in the league, you have to give up something to get something, and Yelich is a big something.

The Jays also solidified their shortstop talent in the organization when they selected Logan Warmoth with the 22nd overall pick in the 2017 MLB Amateur Draft.

One of the things Passan touched on was Yelich’s cost, and how it makes him one of the better bargains in the league.

This season, Yelich will make $7 million in total salary. His salary will steadily increase with every passing season. Yelich is signed through 2021, with a team option for $15 million in 2022. He will make $14 million in the final year of his deal.

If the Jays can stomach losing a top prospect to land a player of Yelich’s calibre then why not? It’s the left-handed bat and offensive upgrade that the Jays so desperately need this upcoming season.

But, that is a big if that has to be taken into consideration by the Toronto Blue Jays brass.

Next: Jays get some deals done on arbitration deadline day

Would you like to see the Toronto Blue Jays move Bichette to add Yelich? Or would you rather see them keep Bichette and try to add through free agency? Let us know you’re thoughts below!