2024 has not been the Toronto Blue Jays’ year. They currently sit in last place in the American League East with a record of 28-31. They are 13 games behind the first-place Yankees. They’re also five games back of the last wild-card spot, with four teams ahead of them. Although they’re only three games under .500, time is quickly running out on their playoff dreams.
With the playoffs becoming increasingly unlikely, many have pointed to the Jays being sellers at the deadline. The roster has proven it can’t compete in the American League. Or in their own division. With powerhouses like the Yankees and Orioles, the Blue Jays would need to have a deadline for the ages to even think about competing. The smarter move would be to sell, and be ready to compete when the Yankees and Orioles windows are closing.
However, what is being questioned is who are the players the Blue Jays are going to trade. Specifically which core piece are they going to move: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Bo Bichette? Both would be some of the top players on the market. But which one is the one to move, and which one is the one to build around?
Blue Jays Should Build Around Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
The son of MLB Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero has been seen as a franchise player since signing as an international free agent in 2015. He was a can’t-miss prospect in the minors, giving him the honors of the Blue Jays’ top prospect. In 2018, he won Minor League Player of the Year after batting .381 with 20 home runs and 78 RBIs.
This success has continued to the MLB. Throughout his six years in the bigs, he’s been one of the best players in the league. He has a slash line of .280/.357/.484 with an OPS of .842 with 136 home runs and 431 RBIs. He also has an OPS+ of 131 and a WAR of 16.9. His best season came in 2021 where he led the league in runs, home runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, and OPS+. This performance was good enough to earn him runner-up in the AL MVP conversation.
Guerrero also has one more year of arbitration before you have to give him a long-term contract. It’s very hard to produce players like Guerrero. If you were to trade him, the hope is that you can get a player like Guerrero in return. It’s like the old Family Guy joke if you rather have the mystery box or a boat. A mystery box could be anything; it could even be a boat. In that case, just take the boat. Build the team around an MVP-caliber player. You might not get the prospect haul, but you’re guaranteed to have a superstar.
The Jays Should Build Around Bo Bichette
Bichette was drafted in the second round of the 2016 draft and quickly showed why he was taken so high. Despite only playing 22 games due to a ruptured appendix, Bichette batted .427 with four home runs and 36 RBIs. Hitting for a high average would be what made Bichette a top prospect. His lowest average in the minors came in Dobule-A when he batted .286. This was good enough to make him the second-best prospect in the Blue Jays system, only behind Guerrero.
When Bichette got to the big leagues, his ability to hit the ball got even better. Throughout his six seasons in the majors, he has slashed .294/.335/.474 for a .808 OPS with 93 home runs and 337 RBIs. He also has a 122 OPS+ and a 17.6 WAR. He also leads the league in hits in both 2021 and 2022. Without question, Bichette is one of the best contact hitters in the game.
Just like Guerrero, Bichette still has another year of control, before you have to extend him. The one issue with trading Bichette is you’ll be selling him at a low. Currently, Bichette is going through his worst season to date. Through 56 games, he slashed .236/.284/.345 for a .629 with four home runs and 25 RBIs. You won’t get anywhere need the package you should for a player of Bichette type. Unlike Guerrero, where you could get a franchise-altering return. Then, the hope would be that Bichette can bounce back.
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