The Blue Jays are playing the final stretch of a tough season. Toronto is well under .500 and looks set to finish in last place, a very disappointing result for a team that thought it was in the thick of the race after two consecutive playoff appearances. Toronto had no choice but to sell at the deadline when it became clear they were not going to make the playoffs.
Although they acquired experienced players, the front office was not keen on a major restructuring. Most of the Jays’ trades resulted in them giving up pending free agents (e.g. Yusei Kikuchi, Justin Turner, Yimi Garcia, Trevor Richards, Danny Jansen, Kevin Kiermaier). They have released a few supporting players under contract or under the control of the team beyond this season and Isiah Kiner-Falefa And Nate PearsonYet they never seemed to be able to trade away core players they could keep until 2025.
Chris Bassitt is one of those veterans. The right-hander is in the second season of a three-year, $63 million free agent contract. He plays for a salary of $18 million and will make the same amount next year. Bassitt finished 10th in Cy Young voting last season. His performance this year was solid but not as impressive, as he has a 4.34 ERA after 139 frames.
There was an argument for the Jays to trade Bassitt this summer, especially if they could find a taker for his entire 2025 salary. While he remains an effective pitcher, he will enter his 36th season with a roster that needs a lot of work next offseason. Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reported five days before the deadline that the Jays had no intention of trading Bassitt or Kevin GausmanHowever, neither pitcher was involved in any serious transfer rumors.
In an interview with Jomboy Media’s Chris Rose last week (YouTube link), Bassitt said Toronto’s front office made it clear early in the process that he would not be traded.”There were a lot of articles and a lot of people saying I would go or should go. They told me I wouldn’t go”, Bassitt said. While he did not specify the exact time of this conversation, he added that he “knew for a while” before the deadline that he would not transfer. Bassitt acknowledged that he was somewhat disappointed that he was unable to compete for a playoff spot this year, but added that he was optimistic about the organization’s desire to make another attempt at being competitive in 2025.
As talented as Bassitt is, he is only the Blue Jays’ third-most valuable player, heading into free agency after next season. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. And Bo Bichette will be two of the most important players in the 2025-26 free agent class. GM Ross Atkins made it clear early in the deadline season that the Jays had no interest in trading either. There is no indication that they ever seriously changed their minds, even though the team was clearly out of the playoff race in 2024.
When asked by Rose whether the Jays should have traded Guerrero this summer or extended his contract, Bassitt expressed optimism that the Jays can keep him long-term.I don’t know, I don’t want to speak for him here, but I think Vladdy wants to be a Blue Jay for the rest of his career. I don’t think he wants to leave.”, said the pitcher. “I don’t think there’s a huge rush to get a contract extension done. They obviously didn’t trade him because they don’t want him to wear another uniform. … I think both sides want to stay together. I don’t think it’s a bad relationship.”
Guerrero is playing for a salary of $19.9 million this year. He should make over $25 million and could get close to $30 million in his final arbitration season. After a slow start to the season, Guerrero has been on a tear since early May. He has a slash line of .317/.390/.552 with 26 home runs in 543 at-bats. This has been Guerrero’s best year since his MVP season in 2021. He is on track to become a free agent before his 27th season and could get a contract worth more than $300 million.
Over the weekend, Bob Nightengale of USA Today wrote that the Jays are in fact still hoping to negotiate a contract extension with Guerrero before he becomes a free agent. Nightengale suggests that they are less optimistic about a contract extension with Bichette because the Jays may receive trade offers for the shortstop next winter if they feel they are not going to make progress on a contract extension.
This would probably be a bad time for a trade or a contract extension. Bichette is coming off by far the worst season of his career. He has a batting average of .222/.275/.320 and only four home runs in 331 home runs. The two-time All-Star has been on the injured list twice due to problems with his right calf. He has been out of action for exactly one month with a significant calf strain and is not expected to return until sometime in September.
Unlike Guerrero, Bichette has a fixed salary next year. He will make $16.5 million in the final season of the three-year deal he signed to buy out all of his arbitration years. There would still be plenty of trade interest if the Jays were to trade him. The free-agent shortstop class, led by Willy Adams And Ha-Seong Kimisn’t as sparse as it was last winter. Things go downhill quickly after Kim, though, and there aren’t many shortstops that are on the transfer list every day. Bichette still arguably has more offensive potential than any other shortstop that could reasonably be available either as a free agent or via trade.
Whether that will lead to a deal remains to be seen. Atkins said just last month that the Jays hope to keep Guerrero and Bichette long-term. Jon Heyman of the New York Post wrote just before the trade deadline that previous extension talks with either player hadn’t made much progress. Heyman suggested at the time that the Jays didn’t have much chance of extending Bichette’s contract – which is consistent with Nightengale’s recent report. Even if that’s the case, trading Bichette would dig another hole for a team that believes it can bounce back next season. Rookie Leo Jimenez has taken over the shortstop position over the last month. He has a batting average of .221/.307/.368 in 34 games with below-average strikeout (32.1%) and walk rates (5.5%).
