MLB Mock Trade: Blue Jays Deal Addison Barger for Reliever Carlos Estevez

This MLB mock trade breaks down a potential deal that sends Royals closer Carlos Estevez to the Blue Jays in exchange for young infielder Addison Barger and pitching depth.

Kansas City Royals pitcher Carlos Estevez (53) throws a pitch against the Athletics during the ninth inning at Sutter Health Park. | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

With the start of the baseball season now about a month and a half away, we expect teams to continue to make big moves to prepare their rosters for opening day. The Kansas City Royals are a team that could potentially be looking to move players to shed salary, and the Toronto Blue Jays are looking for the final pieces to put together a championship run. Their most glaring hole is in the bullpen, and they have been linked to the Royals' closer Carlos Estevez by Just Baseball's Ethan Miller.

"A free agent after 2026, Estevez might be on the move, with the Royals potentially needing to shed salary," Miller said. "Getting rid of their closer would be a huge move, but Kansas City’s outfield is kind of a mishmash at this point, so they seem like an ideal trade partner for Toronto.

Estevez would cost a lot, as he’s coming off a season in which he recorded 42 saves with a 2.45 ERA. However, his fastball velocity has dropped 1.6 mph over the past four seasons, and almost every hit he allows is in the air (he was in the bottom one percent in ground-ball percentage last season, not helpful for an elite defensive infield).

Still, his fastball, slider, and changeup are all strong pitches, and having another reliable pitcher at the back end would be a massive help. Toronto has enough depth that trading one or two of their outfielders wouldn’t significantly impact their roster, even if Estevez is gone after 2026."

Toronto Blue Jays - Kansas City Royals Mock Trade

Toronto Blue Jays Receive

RHP - Carlos Estevez

Kansas City Royals Receive

3B - Addison Barger

LHP - Brendon Little

Prospect - LHP - Ricky Tiedermann

Fantasy Baseball Impact

Estevez is an excellent pitcher, and we'd expect him to slide into the closer role in Toronto. With the Blue Jays being projected to be one of the best teams in baseball, we'd expect him to have significantly more save opportunities in Toronto. This would be a big boost for his fantasy upside. 

Barger is a young infielder, entering his second full MLB season. He's talented, but his fantasy value would probably take a hit if he landed in Kansas City. They have a less talented lineup, and there would be fewer opportunities to drive in runs and fewer stars to drive him in.  

Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Addison Barger (47) hits a single against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second inning during game seven of the 2025 MLB World Series at Rogers Centre. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Why The Trade Makes Sense For The Toronto Blue Jays

Toronto was one win away from being World Series champions and could quite possibly have won it all with a stronger bullpen. That's all the motivation they should need to go out and acquire a player like Estevez to help put them over the top this season.

Why The Trade Makes Sense For The Kansas City Royals

This is a solid haul for the Royals, for an expensive 33-year-old pitcher on a short-term contract. They'd be adding a talented young third baseman with upside, a solid bullpen piece in Little, and a high upside prospect in Tiedermann, who they have an opportunity to buy low on because of injury issues that he is expected to be past this season.