Blue Jays predicted to trade shortstop phenom to help MLB roster by deadline

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The Toronto Blue Jays remain in the playoff picture in a messy American League despite a less-than-ideal season so far.

That could turn them into buyers at the trade deadline, and if that happens, they'll have to decide which members of their intriguing prospect pool they'd like to deal from.

The good news for the Blue Jays is that they have one obvious spot of surplus: shortstop.

The team's No. 1 prospect, JoJo Parker, is a potential superstar.

Behind him, they've got Arjun Nimmala, who is also a top-50 prospect in the sport. It's Nimmala who is singled out in a new MLB.com article on Friday as the obvious trade chip from the Blue Jays.

"This isn’t a commentary on Nimmala himself, but the Blue Jays would only trade No. 1 prospect JoJo Parker in a franchise-changing deal, and Nimmala represents that next level of value, now ranked the No. 45 prospect in baseball while enjoying a strong season in Double-A," MLB.com writes in its non-bylined article on Friday. "On the pitching front, Toronto could be hesitant to deal lefty Johnny King (No. 4), but righty Gage Stanifer (No. 6) could be an attractive name."

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Nimmala was the Blue Jays' first-round pick, No. 20 overall, in the 2023 MLB Draft.

He's 20 years old, and through his first 22 games at the Double-A level, Nimmala is batting .303.

The Blue Jays don't have to trade him, of course. Shortstops are the most able players of being moved off their position to learn another spot down the road. If Parker and Nimmala both turned into stars, that'd be just fine for Toronto.

But if the Blue Jays are looking for an upgrade before the trade deadline, it makes sense that Nimmala would be the guy potentially getting shipped out to make that move.