The Toronto Blue Jays have had a very disappointing season so far. With a record of 53-62, they have fallen to last place in the American League East.
They were sellers at the trade deadline, postponed 2024 and instead shifted their focus to 2025. However, they held on to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette.
President and CEO Mark Shapiro recently spoke about wanting to keep these stars, but also being aware of the Competitive Balance Tax thresholds.
On the show “Foul Territory,” former Major League Baseball player Cameron Maybin criticized the Blue Jays for their contradictory messages.
“I heard about a lot of grievances,” Maybin said. “Many disagreed.”
Shapiro’s statements are certainly confusing. On one hand, he says he wants to keep Guerrero and Bichette to build a championship contender. But at the same time, he also talks about the CBT thresholds and doesn’t want to get too close to them.
In this case, it’s unclear which direction the Blue Jays are heading in 2025 and beyond. They don’t seem to have decided yet whether they want to compete or take a step back for a few years.
If they hold on to Guerrero and Bichette, they can keep their core together. But if they’re worried about hitting CBT thresholds, they may not be ready to build around their stars.
It will be interesting to see how they approach the offseason and what they decide for the future.
More MLB: Blue Jays Trade Deadline Tracker: Live rumors, news, updates on Toronto and deadline day
