Blue Jays receiving calls on rookie sensation Davis Schneider

Day 1 of the 2023 Winter Meetings was the Shohei Ohtani spectacle, and rightly so. But an intriguing nugget was also shared about fan-favourite icon Davis Schneider, who’s quickly become very popular amongst many baseball executives in the industry.

The Toronto Blue Jays rookie sensation has “casually come up” in trade discussions with other teams this winter, per TSN’s Scott Mitchell. At this point, though, it doesn’t appear any of those chats have passed the value-gauging stage of the process.

Still, Mitchell believes it’s worth exploring that avenue given the organization’s relatively thin prospect system beyond left-handed pitcher Ricky Tiedemann and infielder Orelvis Martinez.

It would make sense for the Blue Jays to gauge Schneider’s trade value, especially considering their reported interest in San Diego’s Juan Soto, who’s expected to net a significant haul in return for one year of club control. But it’s also worth noting the Padres are reportedly seeking arms rather than bats in exchange for their franchise-altering superstar.

Despite featuring just 35 games of big-league experience, all you have to do is look back at Schneider’s second-half explosion with Toronto – which included a 176 wRC+, 76 percentage points above league average – to understand why teams have inquired about his services.

Schneider took the game by storm in 2023, smashing eight home runs while driving in 20 and slashing .276/.404/.603 over 141 plate appearances following his MLB debut, worth 2.0 fWAR.

The 24-year-old infielder won’t turn 25 until next January and isn’t arbitration-eligible until after the 2026 season. As such, he’s under club control through the 2029 campaign.

Toronto’s front office is expected to target a veteran middle infielder this off-season, with former Blue Jay Whit Merrifield departing as a free agent. But for now, the organization’s current 2024 depth chart at second base includes Schneider, Cavan Biggio, Santiago Espinal and Otto Lopez.