The Blue Jays are playing out the stretch on a rough season. Toronto is well below .500 and seems headed for a last place finish, a very disappointing outcome for a team coming off consecutive playoff berths that believed they were squarely in the midst of their contention window. Toronto had little choice but to sell at the deadline once it became clear they weren’t going to come close to the postseason.
Even as they shopped veteran pieces, the front office wasn’t keen on a huge overhaul. Most of the Jays’ trades shipped off impending free agents (e.g. Yusei Kikuchi, Justin Turner, Yimi García, Trevor Richards, Danny Jansen, Kevin Kiermaier). They moved a couple role players under contract or team control beyond this season, shipping out Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Nate Pearson. Yet they never seemed close to dealing any core players whom they could keep around for 2025.
Chris Bassitt is one such veteran. The right-hander is in the second season of a three-year, $63MM free agent deal. He’s playing on an $18MM salary and will make a matching amount next year. Bassitt finished tenth in Cy Young balloting a season ago. This year’s work has been solid but not as impressive, as he carries a 4.34 ERA through 139 frames.
There was an argument for the Jays to shop Bassitt this summer, especially if they could find a taker for his entire ’25 salary. While he remains an effective pitcher, he’ll be going into his age-36 campaign on a roster that needs a lot of work next offseason. Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith reported five days before the deadline that the Jays had no intention of moving either Bassitt or Kevin Gausman, though. Neither pitcher found himself in any trade rumors of substance.
In an interview with Chris Rose of Jomboy Media last week (YouTube link), Bassitt said that the Toronto front office made clear early in the process that he would not be traded. “There (were) a lot of articles and a lot of people saying that I was leaving or should be leaving. They told me I wasn’t leaving,” Bassitt said. While he didn’t specify the exact time of that conversation, he added that he “knew for a while” in advance of the deadline that he wasn’t moving. Bassitt acknowledged some disappointment that he wasn’t in position to battle for a playoff spot this year, though he added that he’s optimistic about the organization’s desire to make another effort to compete in 2025.
Talented as Bassitt is, he’s only the third-most important Blue Jays player who is on track for free agency after next season. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette will be two of the headlining pieces of the 2025-26 free agent class. GM Ross Atkins made clear early in deadline season that the Jays had no interest in trading either. There’s no indication they ever seriously reconsidered even as the team fell firmly out of ’24 playoff contention.
Asked by Rose whether the Jays should’ve traded or extended Guerrero this summer, Bassitt expressed some optimism that the Jays will be able to keep him around for the long haul. “I don’t know this, I don’t want to speak for him on this, but I think Vladdy wants to be a Blue Jay for the rest of his career. I don’t think he wants to leave,” the pitcher opined. “I don’t think it’s a super, super, super rush to get an extension done. They obviously didn’t trade him because they don’t want him to be in another uniform. … I think both sides want to be together. I don’t think it’s a bad relationship.”
Guerrero is playing this year on a $19.9MM salary. He should exceed $25MM and could push near $30MM for his final arbitration season. After a slow start to the season, Guerrero has been on a massive tear since the beginning of May. He’s up to a .317/.390/.552 slash with 26 home runs across 543 plate appearances. This has been Guerrero’s best year since his MVP runner-up campaign in 2021. He’s on track to get to free agency in advance of his age-27 season and could command a deal that exceeds $300MM.
Over the weekend, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote that the Jays indeed remain hopeful of working out an extension with Guerrero before he gets to free agency. Nightengale suggests there’s less optimism about an extension with Bichette, writing that the Jays could field trade offers on the shortstop during the upcoming winter if they don’t feel they’ll make progress on an extension.
This would arguably be a poor time for either a trade or an extension. Bichette has had by far the worst season of his career. He’s hitting .222/.275/.320 with only four homers through 331 trips to the plate. The two-time All-Star has had a pair of injured list stints because of right calf issues. He has been out of action for exactly a month with a notable calf strain and seems unlikely to return until some point in September.
Unlike Guerrero, Bichette has a fixed salary next year. He’ll make $16.5MM in the final season of the three-year deal he signed to buy out all his arbitration years. There’d still be ample trade interest if the Jays shopped him. The free agent shortstop class, headlined by Willy Adames and Ha-Seong Kim, isn’t as barren as this past winter’s was. Things fall off quickly after Kim, though, and there aren’t many everyday shortstops who seem likely to be on the trade block. Bichette arguably still carries a higher offensive ceiling than any other shortstop who could reasonably be available in either free agency or trade.
Whether that’ll result in a deal remains to be seen. Atkins said as recently as last month that the Jays are hopeful of keeping Guerrero and Bichette for the long haul. Jon Heyman of the New York Post wrote shortly before the trade deadline that past extension talks with both players hadn’t made much progress. Heyman suggested at the time that the Jays didn’t have a great chance of extending Bichette — aligning with Nightengale’s recent report. Even if that is the case, trading Bichette would dig another hole for a team that believes it can rebound next season. Rookie Leo Jiménez has taken over shortstop in the past month. He’s hitting .221/.307/.368 with subpar strikeout (32.1%) and walk (5.5%) rates in 34 games.
California 8
If Pujols and Cabrera and Suzuki are really actually rejected by the Hall of Fame like so many are saying and predicting will happen, then it will lose all credibility.
Motown is My Town
Where is this news coming from as all three of these are first ballot HOF’ers?
California 8
Plaschke, Verducci, Slusser, Rome, Sherman, etc.
vtadave
Link? Those guys will all get 97%+
California 8
Axisa, Blum, Rosenthal, etc.
paddyo furnichuh
Vta……Don’t mind the HoF bs rumor troll, it’s just back with another name to spew nonsense and underwhelm readers with its mental acuity.
Ted
Nobody is saying those guys will be rejected…
California 8
Franco, Adams, Deeds, McDonald, Gaut, Polishuk, etc.
Ted
Are you just naming sportswriters?
California 8
538, Baseball Prospectus, NY Slimes, Washington ComPost, etc.
Ignorant Son-of-a-b
Instead of naming sportswriters, I like to name nuts: walnut, peanut, macadamia nut, pistachio nut, coconut, cashew nut, white macadamia nut,…
douglasb
Pujols 99%
Cabrera 91%
Suzuki 77%
That’s my prediction.
User 3222006999
What’ll you give the Cubs for Nico Hoerner? Anybody but Bichette that is.
Needs, Closer, C and bench guys.
Butter Biscuits
Dodgers can help in all those needs and I think very likely a possible match for him
vtadave
Dodgers don’t need him. Marginal upgrade at best at SS. Lux has 2B
Rudy Zolteck
Didn’t Bailey from Foolish Baseball say it best, “If you’re not a Blue Jays fan when you’re a teenager, you have no heart, and if you’re not a Blue Jays hater when you’re almost 30, you have no brain”?
CTS4
I think Bo has come to the realization , with shapiro and lackie atkins running the club . He won’t win anything , and wants out…
Dustyslambchops23
His performance this year is a big reason for the jays lack of success. Weird to blame a president of baseball when you’re supposed to be a superstar and spend the year OPSing under .600
douglasb
Bichette was on track for $300m. If he plays like again next year he’s getting a 1-year prove it deal or a Bellinger special.
NoSaint
Atkins just needs to get a catcher, 3B, DH (maybe), a RHH OF, and bench pieces to compete. Easy.
darthdragula
Bichette can’t play well enough at ahort and needs to change positions. Vladdy at 1st is the only other bat Toronto has that should be in the lineup every day. Springer is toast and they need to eat that contract. Varsho is a platoon guy and defensive replacement in the OF. Toronto has lots of platoon/bench guys but need to upgrade the starters at all three OF spots, three infield spots and behind the plate and they need a DH. Bring Bo back next year to rebuild some value and trade him but move him to 2nd, 3rd or the OF. The starting pitching is good enough but could use a depth guy and the bullpen needs a ton of help. The prospect cupboard is bare so you can’t trade for any help so you’re left to bid for free agents. That’s a bad plan. Fire the entire organization and gut it and rebuild. The best this team can achieve under it’s current course is mediocrity.
NoSaint
@darthdragula
As much as I would like to see Bichette at 2B, to rebuild his value for a trade he has to be playing short.
DodgerOK
I thought ERA didn’t matter anymore?
Ignorant Son-of-a-b
It is one of about a dozen different pitching metrics you should have memorized and contextualized about any pitcher you deem to share an opinion on or else everyone will laugh at you.
Thefrogsaregey
Looking forward to seeing what contract vlad gets. Blue Jays in a tough spot after this year. You can’t give over 200(even 100) million to a bad bodied 3 war guy. Their fans will push for it though
Dustyslambchops23
Imagine someone said this about Cabrera
jimmertee
The BlueJays are winning NOTHING is 2025. Please don’t listen to Shapiro or Atkins or the Toronto Sportsnet bots.
Bassitt and Gausman are old and on the downside and need to be shipped out now. Shapiro and Atkins usually wait too long and get reduced trade value. Get rid of them now.
Bo needs to go too. Vladdy needs to stay as does Berrios, Martinez and Horwitz. The rest can go. Its full rebuild time and it cannot be Shapiro or Atkins overseeing the rebuild.
As I said in 2015/2016, the BlueJays will never win anything with Shapiro and Atkins at the helm.
Shapiro is an excellent financial and renovations guy. Move him to business operations only and bring in a new baseball President like Jeter to oversee all baseball operations and personnel at all levels of the organization or it will be more of the same forever and ever.
And while they are cleaning house Click and La Cava need to go too. Atkins can head up analytics.
Mr Rogers, are you listening?
Ignorant Son-of-a-b
Re: Toronto Sportsnet Bots…I do enjoy Blair & Barker , but maybe because I’m old & grumpy like them
stymeedone
Yes, those fish under Jeter were much better than anything Toronto has done recently. Really??!!
jimmertee
Unfortunately Gillick wants to stay retired. There are no other elite baseball executives available. None.
I wanted Dombrowksi years ago when Detroit canned him.
holecamels35
Don’t understand why there seem to be a belief next year’s Jays team will be much better. Not many prospects on the horizon. They have a lot of big contracts already, not a lot of moves can make them a contender when other teams in the division look to be strong for a long time or back on the upswing like the Sox and Rays.
Shawn W.
Steep decline for Bichette. What happened ?
Ignorant Son-of-a-b
He will be fine. Just banged up this year. You don’t nearly lead the league in hits three years in a row and then just lose it. Maybe needs a change in scenery as well. And not so much pressure on having to “be the guy.”
jimmertee
Shawn, Bichette family has some serious issues going on…..it is likely the cause of the distractions for him….
stymeedone
Tim Anderson begs to differ.
MLBTR needs to hire editors
Come on. “Talented as Bassitt is” isn’t proper English. You can’t just leave “as” out to start the sentence. Grammar isn’t optional.