Getty Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette
The Toronto Blue Jays are looking to extend Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., not trade them.
General manager Ross Atkins said as much in an appearance on MLB Network Radio on Sunday, June 2, as his team sits 3 games below .500 and looking like trade deadline sellers.
“It doesn’t make any sense for us,” Atkins said. “There will be occasional times when you’re talking to other executives and they’ll ask if you’ll consider and we just say it’s not something we have spent any time on. Because they’re so talented and such great teammates, they are attractive to other teams, so they will call.”
“We believe in them, we believe in their futures and hope there’s a way they can play here for a long time.”
Ross Atkins addresses the reports that Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. could be traded:
Bichette and Guerrero both have two more years of team control before hitting free agency in 2026. They’re both already commanding hefty salaries, with Guerrero making $19.9 million in 2024.
Bichette, meanwhile, is in year two of a three-year deal worth $33.6 million, with a $12.08 million salary in 2024. His deal gives Toronto an equal luxury tax hit in all three years so only $11.2 million of his salary this year counts toward the tax, per Spotrac. Combined, the two take up just over 13% of the team’s pre-luxury tax payroll allotment.
With Guerrero and the Blue Jays needing to either agree on another deal or go to arbitration in the offseason, the first baseman is likely poised for an even bigger payday.
Toronto also has other major contracts on the books. George Springer and Kevin Gausman alone account for about 20% of the Blue Jays’ luxury tax percentage and neither will be free agents until 2027. The team could still try to lock up Bichette and Guerrero while continuing to build around them for the future if they find a way to move other pieces.
“Of course we have dialogue with them [about extensions] and that’s something that will continue,” Atkins said. “We believe in them, we believe in their futures and hope there’s a way they can play here for a long time.”
Bo Bichette & Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Keyed the Toronto Turnaround
Guerrero is in his age 25 season and Bichette just turned 26. The two were called up, however, at 20 and 21 respectively, essentially making them veterans already. Because they both played partial seasons in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic kept the 2020 season to just 60 games, the two have had just three full, 162-game seasons.
In that time, Toronto has averaged just under 91 wins per year, playing to a .559 winning percentage. Prior to 2020, the Blue Jays had three straight losing seasons.
When it became clear that Bichette and Guerrero were stars in the making, the Blue Jays began building around them. They signed Springer prior to the 2021 season, acquired Kevin Gausman before 2022, and added Kevin Kiermaier, and Chris Bassitt before last season.
Over the last three years, Guerrero and Bichette have been marks of consistency. Guerrero was an All-Star each of the past three seasons, averaging 35 home runs and hitting .285 in that span. Bichette got off to a slow start this year, but led the league in hits two out of the last three years and has worked his average up to .241 in 2024.
The Blue Jays’ Future Infield
If Toronto is able to hold onto those two, maybe even finding a way to unload other hefty contracts at the deadline, they can be cornerstones to an infield that could stay steady for years to come.
Orelvis Martinez is the Blue Jays’ No. 2 prospect, per MLB.com, which gives him an ETA of later this year. He’s currently hitting .250 in AAA with 13 home runs in 50 games.
Leo Jimenez, their No. 5 prospect, is a middle infielder also on track to come up this year. In AAA, he’s batting .266 with a .837 OPS.
If the Blue Jays are going to extend Bichette and Guerrero, they’re going to need to have major contributors on rookie contracts. Tying your hopes to prospects is always risky, but if it works, Toronto will have a formidable offense through their core’s prime years.