Andres Gimenez might be the hardest Blue Jays contract to classify heading into the offseason.

The money isn't wasted. His defense is genuinely valuable, the kind of glove work that shows up in the box score without ever appearing on a stat sheet.

But his salary jumps to $23 million next season and stays there through 2029, with a club option for 2030 attached.

If Toronto wanted to explore a Gimenez trade, the target list would likely start with teams that have enough offense elsewhere to absorb a bat-first subtraction but need a real defensive upgrade in the middle infield.

Seattle stands out as an interesting fit. Josh Naylor's five-year, $92.5 million deal gives the Mariners a productive but expensive first baseman and DH, and a Gimenez-for-Naylor framework would let Toronto add a left-handed impact bat.

Why Minnesota and Texas also make sense to watch

Minnesota's most expensive commitment is Byron Buxton, whose health has been an issue for most of his career, though he's genuinely elite when on the field.

Buxton is closer to the end of his own deal than Gimenez, reaching free agency after 2028, which changes the calculus of any potential swap between the two clubs.

Texas is worth monitoring too, given the size of Corey Seager's contract and how Brandon Nimmo's deal could raise real payroll questions for the Rangers this winter.

If Texas valued Gimenez's defense enough to make a move, either Seager or Nimmo could get shipped out to reallocate those funds elsewhere.

None of these are obvious, ready-to-sign matches. They show the type of teams Toronto could realistically open a conversation with, nothing more concrete than that at this stage.

That's exactly what makes contract swaps like this worth exploring in the first place. If the Blue Jays are serious about retooling this offseason, this is the kind of creative thinking that should be on the table once the season ends.