“With a relatively weak free-agent class this winter, there is expectation that the trade market will be quite active across the league,” said TSN on Friday (ET), pointing to the possibility of a trade for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Last year’s free agency market featured a “big five” at shortstop in Corey Seager and Marcus Semien (Texas Rangers) and Carlos Correa (Minnesota Twins), and last winter’s market featured Max Scherzer (Texas) and Correa again via opt-out, so interest in Stovrig was very high, especially since the New York Mets were the “big hands” last winter.굿모닝토토 주소

However, this year’s free agency market doesn’t have as many “big names” as in recent years. In fact, with the exception of Shohei “Idoryu” Ohtani, there are no players that could be called “S” players. Cody Bellinger and Matt Chapman, who have rebounded, are the only two players who could be categorized as “semi-classic”. This has led to a bounce-back effect for players like Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Lee Jung-hoo, who are trying to break into the big leagues through posting.

Right now, Toronto is in need of reinforcements more than any other team. Infielders Whit Merrifield and Matt Chapman, outfielder Kevin Kiermaier, and pitchers Hyun-jin Ryu and Jordan Hicks are all set to hit the free agent market at the end of the season. With the departures of Chapman and Kiermeyer, the Jays must add players who can play corner infield and center field. For these reasons, Toronto is currently interested in signing Lee.

The American publication The Athletic listed Lee as one of the players Toronto could pursue in free agency. “Lee is an above-average center fielder who doesn’t have a lot of power but makes quality contact and strikes out rarely,” the publication said. “After spending four seasons with Ryu Hyun-jin, Toronto has built a strong Korean fan base, and adding a young top-of-the-order hitter could help build on that relationship.”

Kim was also mentioned as a possible trade target for Toronto. According to Canada’s TSN, “With Toronto looking to add depth at a variety of positions, a trade could be one route. The Jays have clear holes at second base, third base, and left field, and while the free agent market is flooded with options to fill them, a trade could also be in the cards,” according to TSN.

Juan Soto (No. 1) and Ha-Sung Kim (No. 3) were the top two trade candidates listed by the media, as the Padres recently signed Darvish Yu to a massive extension, as well as “house rabbits” like Jake Cronenworth and Joe Musgrove. Despite their lack of financial strength, the team has spent an astronomical amount of money and is now in a position to take out loans.

“If the San Diego Padres have Juan Soto, Ha Sung Kim is a close second, given his versatile defense and ability to dominate left-handed pitching,” said TSN, “Toronto should have signed him when he came over from South Korea a few years ago. But with Kim set to hit free agency in a year, and San Diego needing to cash in on a trade, Toronto may have another chance.”

If Toronto were to acquire Lee in free agency and Kim via trade, it would create a “Korean duo,” much like the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Choi Ji-won and Bae Ji-hwan and San Diego’s Choi Ji-won and Kim played in the same uniform this year. Everything is up in the air, but with the need for infield and outfield reinforcements, there’s no telling what could happen.