The Toronto Blue Jays have failed to land a superstar free agent in back-to-back offseasons after trying. However, the best path to landing a superstar may be by first extending the ones that already have.
While ranking landing spots for Baltimore Orioles ace Corbin Burnes, FanSided’s Michael Brakebill noted that in order for the Blue Jays to land Burnes they would have to “lock up” Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette.
“They have the funds to pull it off, but to be taken seriously, they need to have a vision of how they will remain competitive,” wrote Brakebill. “The best way to do that is to lock up Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette long-term, an idea beginning to fizzle among the fan base. Without clear direction on how the team can contend, it will always be challenging to lure big names such as Burnes to Toronto. They must get deals done with their core to prove they are serious.”
The Blue Jays tried and failed to land Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto. Burnes is the best arm on the market. He is a four-time All-Star and National League Cy Young Award winner. He had a 2.92 ERA with 181 strikeouts in 2024 Spotrac projects him to sign a six-year, $183 million deal in free agency.
The Blue Jays and Guerrero are not close in their negotiations according to Guerrero during an appearance on Abriendo Sports. If he hits the open market there is no guarantee he will land back in Toronto and they will lose their biggest selling point to other stars. Bichette is in the final year of a three-year, $33 million extension. Considering how much shortstops have been getting paid he could also cash in on the open market.
Getting both guys signed to extensions will help the Blue Jays land superstars as they can show a commitment to winning for the future.