The most controversial offseason choice Blue Jays should make—but won't

The 2024 MLB season could not have gone much worse for the Toronto Blue Jays. They justifiably had lofty expectations but never played well from the start. They sold at the trade deadline and clinched a last-place finish in the AL East with their loss on Tuesday.

After a season as bad as this one takes place, Blue Jays fans will obviously want major changes to be made. Firing at least one of GM Ross Atkins or manager John Schneider wouldn't be a controversial decision at all, but it sounds as if both of them will stick around.

The organization should look to make one offseason choice that Jays fans might deem controversial and/or not like. That choice is to trade Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The organization almost certainly won't do it after refusing to really entertain offers for him at the trade deadline, but they absolutely should.

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The Blue Jays should, but won't, trade Vladimir Guerrero Jr. this offseason

Guerrero has been one of the very few bright spots for the Jays organization and its fans to be proud of this season and is a superstar, but that can't stop them from doing what's right. Trading him is the right decision.

The Blue Jays refused to trade anyone with club control past the 2024 campaign (with the exception of Nate Pearson) including Guerrero and Bo Bichette because they want to compete in 2025. That sounds good, in theory, but how realistic is that goal?

They're 73-85 as of this writing, rank 20th in runs scored, 25th in home runs, have an old rotation that lacks depth, and arguably the worst bullpen in the league. They might be better in 2025 with a healthy Bichette and Jordan Romano, but guys like Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, and George Springer will be one year older. Even if they sign Juan Soto, how good will they be in the most competitive division in the game?

Their 2025 chances wouldn't matter as much if that wasn't Guerrero's final year of club control, but it is. If their odds of winning in 2025 aren't high, why won't they consider trading him? Sure, if an extension was within reach that'd be enough of a reason to keep him around, but how realistic is it that they extend him before he hits free agency? With every passing day, his price is going up thanks to his elite level of play, making an extension harder to picture.

Trading Guerrero would allow the Jays to heavily fortify what is still one of the worst farm systems in the league even after selling at the trade deadline and give them a chance to reset. Tacking on trades involving players like Bichette, Gausman, Bassitt, and Jose Berrios would make a potential rebuild quicker and more effective. It'd mean they'd struggle to win games for the next couple of years, but give them a chance to have sustainable success in the not-too-distant future.

The Blue Jays will likely not trade Guerrero, their franchise player and lone superstar, but for the interests of the organization's future, they'd be better off biting the bullet now rather than getting less for him at the trade deadline or risking letting him walk for nothing but a measly draft pick as compensation. It'd hurt in the moment and would not be received well by most of a passionate Blue Jays fan base, but with where this organization is right now, it's the right move to make.