With a lockout lurking in less than a month, MLB teams are hurrying to complete what off-season business they can in the coming weeks before the sport is shut down for an indeterminate period. Meanwhile, a weak free-agent class means plenty of competition for the best players available. 

That could force a number of trades between now and Dec. 1 as front offices look elsewhere to address roster needs — and there are plenty of intriguing trade candidates across the league.

Here are five who would be fits for the Toronto Blue Jays:

Coming off a breakout 30-30 season spent driving one of MLB’s highest-scoring offences, Abrams could be the most talented player moved this winter if the Washington Nationals decide to exchange some offence to shore up their run prevention. The 26-year-old is a tremendous athlete, combining bat speed, strength and speed on the basepaths into a dynamic, dangerous offensive package.

His biggest drawback comes defensively, where he’s graded as one of the game’s worst shortstops since entering the league in 2022. But the Blue Jays could lessen his defensive load by shifting him to second base alongside one of the game’s rangiest shortstops, Andres Gimenez, lessening Abrams’s downside while reaping the offensive impact he provides atop a lineup.

The price would understandably be sky high. Mid-20s middle infielders with this kind of juice aren’t often acquirable. The pitching-starved Nationals would no doubt be seeking at least one of Trey Yesavage, Nolan Perry or Johnny King in return. The competition would also be fierce, with the Dodgers, Red Sox, Braves and both New York teams all potential Abrams fits at either shortstop or second base. 

Would it be wise for the Blue Jays to out-bid the field, sacrificing some of its most promising young pitching talent in exchange for only two guaranteed years of Abrams, who could reasonably seek terms somewhere between Willy Adames (seven years, $182 million) and Trea Turner (11 years, $300 million) in extension negotiations? That’s a momentous, potentially era-defining........

© Sportsnet