Blue Jays Could Be Royals' Blockbuster Trade Partners After $500 Million Extension
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It's never too early to start looking ahead to the Kansas City Royals' pursuits at the Major League Baseball trade deadline.
The big news of the day on Monday was first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s $500 million extension with the Toronto Blue Jays. The move was undoubtedly a big win for Toronto, but it comes with some interesting implications.
Any talks of the Blue Jays selling Guerrero if they fall out of the race are now, obviously, off the table. However, the Blue Jays could easily still fall out, and if they do, there are some very intriguing pieces for the Royals to think about acquiring.
First and foremost, there's shortstop Bo Bichette. Now that Guerrero is locked in, it seems highly unlikely that Toronto will be able to afford Bichette's eventual contract, which will make him a high-priced rental at the deadline.
Though Kansas City isn't likely to go after Bichette in free agency, he'd be a great bat to add for the stretch run, and could theoretically play second or third base next to Bobby Witt Jr. He's got 12 hits in the Jays' first 10 games this season, though he's still waiting on that first homer.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jays would surely love to get out of the last year of George Springer's $150 million contract in 2026. The 35-year-old Springer looked to be in decline over the last three seasons, but is off to a torrid start in 2025 with a 1.075 OPS in 33 plate appearances.
Lastly, the Blue Jays have a handful of high-priced starting pitchers, Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, and Max Scherzer, who will all be free agents within the next two years. Any of those arms could be of use to the Royals down the stretch.
Of course, if the Blue Jays are in the playoff hunt, one can safely forget about all of these hypotheticals. But the Guerrero extension means Toronto will have serious financial commitments to shoulder for the next decade, so if they do become sellers, a wide world of possibilities opens up.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org
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