4 Blue Jays players who could be traded before Opening Day

3) Yusei Kikuchi is an expendable Blue Jays trade candidate

The Blue Jays have an elite starting rotation led by arms like Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, and Chris Bassitt. Yusei Kikuchi is a very good fourth starter that the Jays would love to have, but with Manoah and Rodriguez lurking, he's not a player they must keep heading into the 2024 season.

After a rough first season in Toronto, Kikuchi bounced back in a big way, posting a 3.86 ERA in 32 starts and 167.2 innings of work. He was consistently solid all year, helping the Jays squeak into the playoffs. Now, with Kikuchi entering the final year of his deal and Toronto having strong pitching depth, Kikuchi is expendable for the right deal.

Toronto is in desperate need of an offensive boost. If the season began today, Cavan Biggio would likely fetch most of the reps at third base. While Biggio has had some good moments as a big leaguer, he's not a player who should be starting on a team trying to be competitive. If the Jays can flip Kikuchi for an infielder who can play every day, that's something they should strongly consider.

Like Manoah, Kikuchi isn't a player the Jays should be rushing to move. Realistically, they can simply re-sign Matt Chapman and fix that third-base issue. However, if they do get a good offer for Kikuchi, it's not out of the realm of possibility that he can be moved.