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MLB Insider Pegs Toronto Blue Jays as Possible Sellers at 2024 MLB Trade Deadline

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal theorized that the Toronto Blue Jays could look to move off of Vladimir Guerroer Jr., Bo Bichette, Yusei Kikuchi or Chris Bassitt this summer.

Sam Connon

May 1, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Chris Bassitt (40) reacts on the mound.
May 1, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Chris Bassitt (40) reacts on the mound. / Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
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The 2024 MLB Trade Deadline is still three months away, but speculation is already starting to heat up across the league.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal wrote a piece Friday trying to predict which teams could become surprise sellers by the time July 30 rolls around. Between that article and his appearance on the Foul Territory live show, Rosenthal zeroed in on one team that could very likely shed some major names this summer.

The Toronto Blue Jays.

While Rosenthal recognized that it was still early in the season and that nothing concrete has popped up yet, he theorized that the Blue Jays' 15-17 record and record-high $225 million payroll could push them towards selling.

"The team that I'm really watching closely is Toronto, because they seem to be reaching a crossroads," Rosenthal said on Foul Territory. "At some point, this team either needs to play better or needs to make some hard decisions on the players that they have."

As noted by Rosenthal, left-handed starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi is on an expiring contract, currently boasting a 2.94 ERA. After 2025, first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., shortstop Bo Bichette, closer Jordan Romano and right-handed starting pitcher Chris Bassitt are slated to hit free agency as well.

Guerrero is batting .231 with a .683 OPS, while Bichette is batting .205 with a .557 OPS to this point in the season. The pair, once considered to be the building blocks of Toronto's young core, may not be worth as much as they would have been a year ago, but Rosenthal thinks it may be in the front office's best interest to move off of them if contract extensions are not in the cards.

From 2021 to 2023, Guerrero and Bichette combined for five All-Star appearances, earning a handful of MVP votes along the way. Guerrero, 25, and Bichette, 26, would certainly be attractive pieces to a good number of teams, even taking their recent struggles into account.

Rosenthal has also pegged the 11-20 Houston Astros and 16-18 San Diego Padres as possible sellers at the deadline, even though both spent big money to contend in 2024. After the New York Mets' surprise firesale in 2023, Rosenthal notes, nothing can be ruled out this year either.

The Blue Jays had Thursday off, and are now set to open a three-game road series against the 15-16 Washington Nationals. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. ET.

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Sam Connon

SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's All Bruins, 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' Bruin Blitz, the Bleav Podcast Network and the Daily Bruin, with his work as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk.