The Toronto Blue Jays are in one of the more interesting positions in the league this season. They have a competitive roster, but they've struggled over the last few seasons so it's hard to have a load of confidence coming into the season. Alongside this, the Blue Jays play in the American League East with the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.
But the Blue Jays have Vladimir Guerrero Jr. so they always have a chance to win any game on any given night. But there's a catch with Guerrero, too. He's a free agent at the end of the season and he's projected to land a contract worth north of $500 million in free agency.
While the Blue Jays will pursue re-signing him, nothing is guaranteed. With that in mind, the Blue Jays have a lot of players entering their final season in Toronto and a lot of them stem from Guerrero. Whether it's Guerrero himself leaving town or players leaving so that the Blue Jays can save the money to re-sign their superstar, the lineup will look a lot different in a year.
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3. RHP Chris Bassitt
The first player on this list is a very obvious one. Chris Bassitt is entering his final season in a Blue Jays uniform and everybody in Toronto knows it including Bassitt himself.
The veteran righty is on the final year of his contract making over $22 million. This offseason, he'll likely be looking for another lucrative contract, but it won't come with the Blue Jays.
Toronto has some solid pitching depth at the big league level and at the top of the minor leagues. The Blue Jays will likely be ready to promote top prospects Ricky Tiedemann, Jake Bloss, and Trey Yesavage by the beginning to middle of 2026. With all these prospects banging on the door of the big leagues, it's hard to imagine the Blue Jays use a rotation spot on Bassitt.
The Blue Jays will likely target pitching in free agency again next offseason. There are bound to be some top arms on the market next winter and Toronto will be an aggressive suitor for most of them. With that in mind, it's almost certain that Bassitt ends up on another team.
2. SS Bo Bichette
While the Blue Jays' headlines are dominated by Guerrero, there's another star on the roster with an expiring contract. Shortstop Bo Bichette is on the last year of his contract and it'll likely take a large contract to re-sign him next winter.
With the Blue Jays expected to chase a meg-contract for Guerrero, it's very unlikely they'll be able to afford Bichette extension, too. There have been a lot of reports indicating the Blue Jays are trying to extend Guerrero but no reports indicating they're trying to extend Bichette.
In all likelihood, the Blue Jays will likely take a chance at trading the star this season. There are a lot of teams in the league who would value a young shortstop like Bichette including the Atlanta Braves. If the Blue Jays come to the realization that they won't be able to re-sign him at the end of the season, it could become increasingly likely that they trade him before the season ends.
Bichette struggled last year, but he's still going to be due a big pay day this offseason which makes it quite unlikely he remains in Toronto long term.
1. 1B/3B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Guerrero is the main player to watch on the Blue Jays this season. He's the star of the show and his imminent free agency will take over baseball next offseason. It's very unlikely the Blue Jays will come anywhere close to extending his contract this season, so they will be left in a bidding war next offseason.
In a bidding war, the Blue Jays are fighting an uphill battle to re-sign him. The expected suitors for Guerrero include the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, and a lot of other big market teams. All of these teams reportedly had offers to Juan Soto for over $700 million, so they could likely make a push for Guerrero that approaches the $600 million mark.
The Blue Jays have missed on Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Soto, and plenty of other top free agents over the last few years. While Guerrero is an incumbent Blue Jay, Toronto will need to win the bidding war to secure a 10 to 15-year deal for the superstar. I doubt Toronto can outbid the likes of the New York teams and the Red Sox.