Blue Jays could consider selling ahead of trade deadline if struggles continue, insider suggests

The Toronto Blue Jays’ inconsistent start to the 2023 season, marked by offensive struggles and defensive lapses, has highlighted the team’s overall direction.

Toronto came into last off-season with the goal of improving the team’s lineup, but the results have been less than stellar. The team currently resides in the bottom third for most offensive categories, with a 15-17 record on the season. 

Appearing on the Foul Territory podcast, baseball insider Ken Rosenthal talked about the potential for the Blue Jays to make significant roster shake-ups if this trend continues.

“The Blue Jays have a couple months before the deadline to assess who they are, and you can’t assess just yet,” Rosenthal said.

“But if they do not perform to their potential, if they are hanging around .500 or even below at the deadline, I don’t care how close they are to a Wild Card, at some point you’ve got to look yourselves in the mirror as a franchise and say, ‘Where are we going here, are we going forward with this group?'”

The urgency is compounded by the looming free agency of core stars Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette after the 2025 season. With neither player signed to long-term deals, the Blue Jays face a difficult decision point. Recent poor performances from both Guerrero Jr. and Bichette further complicate the team’s future outlook. Vlad is hitting just .229 with a .331 OBP and .678 OPS while Bichette has a .213 BA, .271 OBP and .577 OPS- all numbers down from their respective career averages.

Toronto’s recent playoff woes only muddies the water. Despite making the postseason in three of the last four years, they have yet to win a single playoff game. The anemic offence, clearly evident in last year’s sweep by the Minnesota Twins in the Wild Card round, remains a major concern.

The Blue Jays have a handful of important players who will be able to hit free agency in the next couple of winters. Yusei Kikuchi, Danny Jansen, Justin Turner, Yimi Garcia, Chad Green and Trevor Richards are set to become free agents after 2024, while Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Jordan Romano, and Chris Bassitt follow after the 2025 campaign. 

Rosenthal drew a comparison to the New York Mets’ 2022 season, where early struggles prompted a roster overhaul. He noted the Mets made their first trade prior to the deadline while several games out of the Wild Card race. A similar scenario could unfold for the Blue Jays if they remain stuck in mediocrity.

The team’s “limited shelf life,” as Rosenthal described it, puts immense pressure on the franchise. Toronto faces tough choices: continue with the current group and hope for a turnaround, or initiate a rebuild to retool for future contention. The coming months will be pivotal in determining the Blue Jays’ trajectory.