To say the Blue Jays’ season has been a disappointment thus far would be an understatement. The Jays have spent the majority of their season in last place in the AL East and have drastically underperformed. The team’s pitching hasn’t been as dominant as it was last year and somehow the offense has been even worse. The Jays haven’t been able to maintain any kind of momentum, because whenever they play a couple good games, they struggle for the next few. They’ve been around .500 for most of the season and while they aren’t totally out of the playoff hunt, they certainly have their work cut out for them if they want a spot in the postseason.
They need to start playing a lot better very quickly, because if they don’t, this team could look very different by the season’s end. We’re less than two months away from the trade deadline and there has been some speculation on whether the Jays will be sellers instead of buyers. The Jays’ two biggest trade pieces are unquestionably Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. They have a few other guys like Kikuchi, Garcia, and Kiermaier who will be free agents at the end of the season that the Jays could trade, but it’s unlikely that the team would be able to get anything significant in exchange for them. This begs the question: could the Blue Jays actually trade one of, or both of, the players that were once looked at as the faces of their franchise?
Blue Jays General Manager Ross Atkins recently said on MLB Network Radio that he has been asked by other executives if they would consider trades for those two, but it isn’t something that they have spent any time on. He also went on to say, “It just doesn’t make sense,” regarding the possibility of trading either Bo or Vlad. Now, does this mean with 100% certainty that both Bo and Vlad will be on the team come August 1st? No, because Atkins said what most GMs would say if they were in that spot. He isn’t going to say definitively that they’re open to trading either Bo or Vlad, but I’m sure if a team approached the Blue Jays with a massive overpay of an offer, then I suspect that Ross would pull the trigger. I take this quote to mean that they aren’t directly looking to trade either player, and as long as the team stays in contention, they will likely acquire players at the deadline.
However, Ross’ comments harken back to a statement made by Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo on June 1st, 2022. After claiming that the Nationals had no plans to trade Juan Soto, the team’s superstar right-fielder, it was only two months later that Soto was traded to the San Diego Padres. The Nats reportedly tried to sign Soto to a massive extension, but when he turned it down, they traded him to the Padres. It’s not hard to imagine a similar situation playing out in Toronto with either Bo or Vlad in Soto’s place. If the Jays genuinely try to extend either or both to long-term contracts, but they are unable to reach an agreement, then I can see a scenario where at least one of them is traded.
The biggest difference between the 2022 Nationals and the 2024 Blue Jays, is that the Nats were not in playoff contention and were clearly headed for a rebuild. This stands in contrast to the Jays, who are still in striking distance of a wildcard spot, and, given the construction of the roster, don’t need to make these trades. The Nats didn’t have good players around Soto, so it made sense to trade him. Whereas the Jays have strong players around Bo and Vlad that they could continue to build upon.
Even if things don’t fully turn around for the Jays and they ultimately don’t make the playoffs, they should still not feel pressure to trade Bo or Vlad in the offseason. They need to seriously look at extending one or both of them, but that may be difficult as both players are going to be free agents after the 2025 season. These are two of the great young players in the game that are still in the primes of their careers, and the Jays should look to do anything to keep them in a Blue Jays uniform for their entire careers. The Jays are not a small market team, and they have the financial resources to extend both players, but of course, it takes both parties to make a deal.
If it’s clear that for whatever reason, Bo and/or Vlad will not sign a long-term deal, then that is the only time when the Jays should trade them. They don’t have a farm system strong enough to let them walk away and not get anything back for them, and still remain competitive. These guys are still young and talented, so the Jays would get a significant return for one or both that could help replenish the farm. However, trading them would almost certainly mean the Jays are headed for a rebuild, and I don’t think they are looking to go through that any time soon. They have poured a lot of resources into this team, as well as the recent renovations made to the Rogers Centre. Ownership and the front office want the Rogers Centre to be as packed as possible, and they certainly won’t get that during a rebuild. Whether it’s with Bo and Vlad or not, the Jays need to find a way to remain competitive and put a good product on the field. Regardless of how this plays out, what this front office chooses to do with Bo and Vladdy will be the biggest decision that they will be forced to make yet.