3 Toronto Blue Jays who should be traded or worse by the end of 2024

The Toronto Blue Jays were one of the more disappointing teams in the league in 2024. GM Ross Atkins doesn't plan on being a mediocre team anymore though.

They were a middle of the road team up until the trade deadline, where they decided to trade away all of their expiring players. Being a middle of the road team just doesn't work in the loaded AL East. You have to have a loaded roster if you want to compete with the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles or even the Boston Red Sox.

The Blue Jays will need to continue to make a ton of roster moves, including players on their 40-man roster that will either be cut or traded before the offseason ends.

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3. LHP prospect Ricky Tiedemann could find himself involved in an offseason trade

Heading into the offseason, it's clear the Blue Jays are going to need to make some sort of moves to put a better roster on the field in 2025 compared to what they had in 2024. Whether they're extremely active in free agency, active in the trade market, or both, they need new talent to take the field in 2025. The best route for Toronto to take is a mix of both free agents and trade acquisitions, which could spell the end of a few top prospects' times with the organization.

The prospect that I think has the best chance of being traded is the left-handed pitcher, Ricky Tiedemann. Tiedemann is the Blue Jays' fourth-ranked prospect, per MLB Pipeline.

Toronto has a few MLB arms in Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios and Chris Bassitt. Bowden Francis also broke out at the end of last year. They also have a few top prospects who are pitchers, including 2024 trade acquisition Jake Bloss. Toronto will have the ability to sign another free-agent arm in the offseason. All of this points to players that will be above Tiedemann on the MLB depth chart, meaning the Blue Jays could use his value to acquire an even better starter or a great bat this Winter.

2. George Springer should be cut or traded by the end of the offseason

Transitioning away from the prospect side of things, let's look at a player on the Blue Jays roster that is set to make almost $50 million over the course of the next two seasons: George Springer.

Springer, 35, has been horrible for the Blue Jays the last two seasons, but specifically in 2024. Last season, he slashed .220/.303/.371 with 19 home runs and a WAR just above 1.0. Toronto needs to find some sort of way to move him off the roster, whether they can ditch his contract or not. If they have to eat half his contract to move him in a trade, they should do it because they can't continue to use a spot on the roster and in the lineup for a guy who's posting a sub .700 OPS.

He's just getting older, slower and worse at this point in his career. The veteran is staring at $50 million over the next two seasons so the motivation to improve may not be there as much as it was earlier in his career.

Best case scenario, the Blue Jays can find somebody that's willing to take a chunk of his contract. This would free up a bit of cap and a spot to slot in a better outfielder that can help the Blue Jays make the World Series push that they're looking for.

1. Bo Bichette could be traded by the end of the calendar year

Baseball fans and baseball media are split on this topic. Let me lay it out for you, first.

The Blue Jays need to extend the contracts for both Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, as both of their stars are entering the last year of their contracts. But, these two players shouldn't be looked at as being in the same tier of talent, as Guerrero is much better than Bichette. So, if the team could choose one, financially, they would choose Guerrero.

Toronto is also set to be very active in free agency. They will be spending their money to improve their roster. So, they might not have the money for a Bichette extension.

Toronto could look to trade him, clearing a lane for Orelvis Martinez to come up to the big leagues and start at shortstop. Bichette is still young and packs a ton of talent, so his value in a trade would be higher than his play was last year, especially with how many teams are going to be looking for a shortstop this Winter. The Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers all come to mind as teams that would be aggressive in trying to acquire Bichette if the Blue Jays opt to move him.