Issues aren’t fairly going as deliberate for the 2024 Toronto Blue Jays, to the purpose that there have been whispers that foundational items Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette could also be not less than dangled within the commerce market this coming summer time.
If the Jays’ entrance workplace has its approach, that will not be the case. Normal supervisor Ross Atkins mentioned on MLB Community Radio Sunday that their aim is to increase the duo as a substitute of commerce them.
“In fact we’ve dialogue with them and that is one thing that can proceed,” he mentioned. “We consider in them, we consider of their futures and hope there is a approach they will play right here for a very long time.”
Guerrero and Bichette are each legacies and debuted for the Blue Jays in 2019, rapidly establishing themselves as star gamers in their very own proper as a substitute of merely driving the coattails of their fathers (Vlad Sr. and Dante, respectively). Bichette is a two-time All-Star who has gotten down-ballot MVP votes three completely different seasons. Guerrero is a three-time All-Star and an MVP runner-up (to Shohei Ohtani in his first full two-way season). With the 2 as lineup fixtures, the Jays have made the playoffs two of the final three years whereas profitable 91 video games within the season they missed the postseason.
Absent contract extensions, they’re each set to hit free company after subsequent season.
This season, the Blue Jays enter Sunday floundering at 27-30 and in final place within the AL East.
Guerrero is hitting .292/.390/.406 (132 OPS+) with 10 doubles, 5 homers and 25 RBI. The priority there’s his lack of energy, particularly given his 48-homer season in 2021 and that he is a primary baseman. In fact, the Jays are beginning him at third base Sunday for the primary time since 2019 (he appeared there in 2022, however just for two innings and did not begin). Atkins mentioned on the radio that Guerrero will proceed to “get some begins” at third, so this does not seem like a one-off.
Bichette is hitting .241/.289/.349 (84 OPS+) with 9 doubles, a triple, 4 homers, 25 RBI, 19 runs and 0.1 WAR. It seems to be just like the worst season of his profession by a good margin.
The thought course of behind a possible commerce of both is that the Blue Jays are stale and underperforming and will use a change. Each gamers would nonetheless have important worth on the buying and selling block, contemplating their age, respective profession pedigrees and the additional 12 months of management as a substitute of serving as rental gamers.
It feels like, not less than for now, Atkins and his Blue Jays’ entrance workplace would somewhat preserve the 2 and construct round them.
“It does not make any sense for us,” Atkins mentioned Sunday. “There will likely be occasional occasions while you’re speaking to different executives they usually’ll ask in the event you’ll take into account and we simply say it is not one thing we’ve spent any time on. As a result of they’re so proficient and such nice teammates, they’re engaging to different groups, so they are going to name.”
That is the place the commerce whispers originate. Per Atkins, there’s nothing to them proper now.
Issues can change, nonetheless, and the Jays will definitely attempt to prolong each gamers if they honestly wish to construct round them. As such, it’s going to be attention-grabbing to comply with this case for the subsequent two months.
