According to reports, the Toronto Blue Jays asked “ridiculous” amounts during trade negotiations for shortstop and first baseman
An executive told Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, “I don’t think they’re opposed to it,” “They have discussed it with teams. The requests were absurd, but I believe they’ll try to retool a lot, and one way to achieve so would be to use those guys to get components.”
With a record of 21–25, the Blue Jays are now last in the AL East and have the third-worst run differential (–40) in the league.
Guerrero will be able to sign with another team after the 2025 campaign. He is making an all-time Blue Jays record $19.9 million after winning his arbitration case over the winter.
By agreeing to a three-year, $33.6 million contract, Bichette avoided arbitration and will not be eligible for free agency until 2026.
Toronto still has time to decide how it wants to manage the near future, but adding nine-figure players like Guerrero and Bichette would significantly raise the Blue Jays’ budget. Toronto’s $225.8 million payroll currently places them eighth in the Major League Baseball.
On the Jays, not a single player earns more than $24.2 million. Guerrero and Bichette are almost set to surpass that figure, which may cause Toronto’s salary to soar above $300 million.
Ownership is hesitant to spend that kind of money on a team that hasn’t won a postseason series since 2016 and has lost two straight Wild Card Round games.
