Toronto Blue Jays Leadership Talks About Possible Contract Extensions For Young Stars

The Toronto Blue Jays elected to hold onto both Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette at the trade deadline this summer, but will they actually lock them both up long-term? Jays leadership spoke about the chances on Wednesday.

Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette (11) commits a throwing error on a ball hit by Houston Astros left fielder Yordan Alvarez (not shown) in the eighth inning at Rogers Centre on July 2. / Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Blue Jays elected to hold onto young stars Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette at the trade deadline this year, but the future for both players is still unclear.

Both players are under team control through 2025 so the Jays could make one last run with this core, or they could elect to trade either or both players during the offseason, or at next year's trade deadline.

Furthermore, the Jays could end up extending one or both players.

According to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet on social media, Jays leadership spoke about that possibility on Wednesday before the Jays got ready to play the Baltimore Orioles:

Asked about possible extensions for Vlad Guerrero Jr. and/or Bo Bichette, Mark Shapiro said: "I'm not going to comment on those guys specifically, but it's certainly easier to build a sustainable championship team with talent like that in place for extended periods of time."

Asked about possible extensions for Vlad Guerrero Jr. and/or Bo Bichette, Mark Shapiro said: "I'm not going to comment on those guys specifically, but it's certainly easier to build a sustainable championship team with talent like that in place for extended periods of time."

— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) August 7, 2024

Shapiro is the President of the Blue Jays. That answer certainly isn't anything earth-shattering, but it will be very interesting to see what Toronto does with both players in the next year. Guerrero Jr. has reportedly expressed interest in staying in Toronto while Bichette appears to be a little less committed to the franchise.

The 25-year-old Guerrero Jr. is putting together a great season, hitting .317 with a .391 on-base percentage. He's currently got an 18-game hitting streak.

Bichette has had a worse year for the Jays, having played just 79 games. He's currently on the injured list and is hitting only .223 with four homers and 30 RBI.

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