Keeping Vlad Jr. And Bo Bichette Will Backfire On The Blue Jays

At the trade deadline, the Toronto Blue Jays were sellers. Various players were dealt away to other teams. However, Toronto opted to hold on to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. Both players are scheduled to be free agents after next season. The team believes they can rebound from this season and compete next year. However, Toronto went into this season with almost that same plan and failed. The Toronto Blue Jays made a mistake by deciding not to go into a rebuild now.

This Season Has Been A Disappointment

Despite high expectations heading into the season, the Toronto Blue Jays have been a disappointment. Despite Vlad Jr. having another good season, the Blue Jays offense has left much to be desired. As a team, Toronto is averaging 4.08 runs per game. The only teams averaging fewer runs are the Athletics, Mariners, Rays, and White Sox. While the team has a lineup full of power hitters, only the Chicago White Sox have hit fewer homers than Toronto. Their offensive failures are a big reason why they’ve been in last place most of the year. They also haven’t had a record above .500 since April 24^th.

As expected, the Blue Jays were big-time sellers at the trade deadline. They traded Justin Turner, Yusei Kikuchi, Danny Jansen, Yimi Garcia, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and others. However, the team decided to hold on to Vlad Jr. and Bo Bichette. The Blue Jays signaled to the league that they were serious about trying to contend in 2025. However, given how it’s gone in the past six seasons, the Jays are making a mistake.

The Jays Have Been Mostly Underwhelming

During this era, the Blue Jays have gone through two managers and never won a division title or a postseason series. This season has been a disaster for Canada’s only Major League Baseball team. Typically, when those things happen, teams make changes. However, Toronto is opting for continuity again. After failing to get Ohtani and only making minor moves afterward, Toronto headed into this season with a similar mindset, and we’ve seen the results. Guerrero Jr. and Bichette are also going to be free agents after next season. Given how Rogers Communications operates the team, they probably won’t keep them both. Given the lack of postseason success, the current state of the team, and that both players are free agents in 2026; this should’ve given Toronto more reasons to trade them.

By Holding Vlad And Bo, They Are Just Pretending To Be Contenders

While the Blue Jays were big sellers at the deadline, their farm system still ranks toward the bottom of the league. They don’t have enough coming up for them to be a consistent contender. Trading either Vlad Jr., Bo Bichette, or both would’ve set the Blue Jays up even better for the future. Since splurging in free agency isn’t really the Blue Jays thing, it would have made for a quicker rebuild for Toronto. Instead, Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins are continuing to have them pretend to be contenders.

The Blue Jays Will Regret This Decision

This trade deadline, the Toronto Blue Jays missed a great opportunity to speed up their impending rebuild. Had the team decided to make Vlad Jr. and Bo Bichette available, they would’ve received some ridiculous offers. It would’ve set them up very nicely for the future. Instead, Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins are continuing to have the Blue Jays pretend to contend. Given how this team operates, it’s unreasonable to expect them to splurge in free agency this offseason. Besides, there is nothing exciting about playing in Canada. While they could trade one or both next year, the return will be significantly less since both will be free agents after 2025. Given that the team seems to be opting for continuity again, expect more of the same or worse next year.

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