Blue Jays could trade one of Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. this summer

Once seen as an up-and-coming force in MLB, the Toronto Blue Jays are a losing team midway through May of 2024. At 21-25, the Jays are falling behind the other teams in the AL East and going nowhere fast.

Sure, that division is the best in the majors, boasting the American League’s two best teams, the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees, plus two other decent teams in the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox. The Blue Jays could be a contender in numerous other divisions. Still, with the cards they’ve been dealt — and the multiple years they have had to build around their current core — they’re failing.

Things could get very dire very soon in Toronto. The team is seen by rival executives as needing major retooling, according to Mark Feinsand of the MLB website, and that could even mean trading away one of their two star position players.

“It seems inconceivable that the Blue Jays – who have entered the past few seasons with great expectations – could trade either Bo Bichette and/or Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but given Toronto’s 21-25 start and the competitive state of the AL East, one AL executive believes it’s possible the Jays could move one or both of their superstars this summer,” writes Feinsand.

Blue Jays could trade Bo Bichette or Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

The Jays trading one of their All-Star infielders would bring about massive change. Each of them has developed into a premier player in their respective positions. But the team has gone 0-4 across the last two Wild Card Series, the first of which included a historic collapse to the Seattle Mariners, and has struggled to upgrade its roster, especially after letting trade acquisition Matt Chapman leave in free agency.

Feinsand reported that the Blue Jays have brought up the possibility of trading Vladdy or Bo to other teams but that the asking prices are, understandably, gigantic. There’s even the possibility that they trade away star pitcher Kevin Gausman if things go far enough south.

Of course, the Jays would like to bounce back and contend. But it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. Missing out on Shohei Ohtani may have been the nail in the coffin that led to the eventual dismantling of this team unless something changes. The Jays’ two stars playing better would be helpful no matter what route the front office ends up wanting to go. Either it gets them into playoff contention or brings their trade value up.

Guerrero’s 48-home run, 1.002-OPS season in 2021 looks like an outlier now. The first baseman’s power seems to not be at that level anymore even though he remains very good at betting on base. Bichette, after leading the AL in hits in 2021 and 2022 and remaining a top-notch hitter last season, has started this season off poorly. The shortstop’s OPS of .622 is by far the worst of his career.

Currently, Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are both going to become free agents after the 2025 season. Barring a massive turnaround, their time as Blue Jays appears to be running out.