3 Toronto Blue Jays who won't be back in 2025 amid clubhouse drama

The Toronto Blue Jays' season from hell is almost at an end. At 72-78, Toronto is dead last in baseball's most competitive division. After cracking the playoffs in 2023 and blustering all offseason, there was a sincere hope that this Blue Jays squad could take the next step.

Well, unfortunately, that step was backward, and the Jays are left in a state of complete disarray because of it. The clubhouse is a mess, the on-field product isn't any better, and it's unclear what the ownership group can (or will) actually do to change all this.

Toronto spent last winter targeting Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto. The latter is expected to field an offer from the Blue Jays in free agency a few short months from now. But, after whiffing on their major targets, the Blue Jays didn't exactly pivot. The front office lobbed $700 million at Ohtani and was denied. Instead of redirecting that capital to other impactful free agents, Toronto essentially ran it back with a few minor tweaks.

Let's assume for a moment that Juan Soto does not join the Blue Jays this time around either. We have little reason to believe that Toronto will spend the money necessary to meaningfully improve the team in free agency. As for trades, well, Toronto will need to settle the turmoil in the locker room before swinging for big-ticket additions.

The logical response to such a rotten season would be to fire the GM and start from scratch on the decision-making front, but Ross Atkins has a strong connection to Blue Jays CEO Mark Shapiro. According to ESPN's Buster Olney, folks around the league don't expect major changes in Toronto's front office hierarchy.

That means change will need to happen further down the pecking order, with Atkins almost definitely pulling the strings. That is a flawed recipe, but it's what Toronto fans are stuck with. Here are a few folks who definitely won't be back with the team next season.

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3. SP Chris Bassitt

Chris Bassitt was quick to deflect blame away from the Blue Jays front office when asked about Toronto's last-place standing on his podcast.

"I think a lot of people are in the same boat as me," Bassitt said (h/t Toronto Star). “They have had bad years, comparatively, to what they should be. That’s not the front office’s fault. We, as players, have got to be a lot better and I think a lot of us know that."

That is the correct mindset from Bassitt, who has been the epitome of professionalism since he arrived in Toronto. He is beloved in the locker room and around the fandom, but as Toronto looks to turn the chapter on this unfortunate season, one has to imagine Bassitt's name will come up in trade rumors.

The 35-year-old is under contract through next season at $22 million. That's a lot, but the market for high-level starters has never been better. Even Bassitt, having his worst season to date, ought to draw the attention of needy contenders as a former All-Star with a decade of MLB experience under his belt.

It has been tough sledding for Bassitt in 2024, posting a career-worst 4.20 ERA and 1.41 WHIP, but nine years of mostly excellence should probably overshadow one off year — even if the age factor becomes more prominent at this stage of Bassitt's baseball journey.

Teams are going to circle like vultures, and Toronto could be presented with an offer it can't refuse for the expiring ace.

2. SS Bo Bichette

Bo Bichette reportedly told friends before the trade deadline that he would welcome a relocation. As we talk about clubhouse turmoil and general bad vibes in the Blue Jays organization, it's hard not to focus on the struggling former All-Star who is blatantly planting the seeds for his departure. While Vladimir Guerrero Jr. appears legitimately content in Toronto, his All-Star running mate at shortstop has already made his position clear.

The Blue Jays almost definitely won't work out an extension for Bichette, whose contract ends after next season. It would be a bit disappointing to trade him at his absolute lowest value, but the Blue Jays are pretty much out of time. There's too much risk in letting Bichette play next season in a Toronto uniform, even if the "plan" is to trade him at the deadline. Just get him off the books this winter and reset.

Even after a disastrous 2024 campaign, in which Bichette is slashing .222/.275/.320 with only four home runs and 30 RBI, he ought to fetch a nice haul on the trade front. The number of 26-year-old, two-time All-Star shortstops floating around the MLB marketplace is limited. Bichette plays a premier position on defense and, when right, he's one of the best bat-to-ball threats in the MLB.

This season has to be an aberration, right? Bichette has led the AL in hits twice in a six-year career. There will be a contender in need of infield stability that banks on Bichette returning to form. If he does, Bichette is due for a major contract next winter. If he can't quite live up to expectations again, well, his next team will get a discount.

Either way, Bichette is as good as gone in Toronto.

1. Manager John Schneider

Toronto's players will tell you that John Schneider is blameless for the Blue Jays' downward spiral. Blame should fall on those playing the game, not those pulling the strings, says Chris Bassitt.

"I don’t blame Ross. I sure as heck don’t blame (president Mark Shapiro) or Schneids (manager John Schneider). Player accountability is massive, and I think we have that here. It’s just for whatever reason (Jays) fans don’t want to yell at players; they want to yell at Ross. I don’t know why."

Again, it's an admirable stance from Bassitt, but it's not how professional sports work. Coaches are always the first on the hot seat when a team underperforms, whether it's deserved or not. With Ross Atkins apparently safe in the front office, that only increases the odds of a change at manager. Something has to give, and Atkins will probably throw Schneider under the bus to protect his own image.

Schneider is certainly not without blame either. Toronto's bullpen issues are personnel-related, but we can also blame Schneider for chronically mismanaging the cards he has been dealt on that front. Meanwhile, it's hard to claim coincidence when a majority of Toronto's lineup is experiencing career-worst production at the plate. Something isn't clicking for the Blue Jays. We should blame the players, but we also need to blame the man setting the stage for his collective failure.

Several appealing managerial candidates are expected to become available this winter, including soon-to-be-ex Miami Marlins skipper Skip Schumaker. The potential to "upgrade" Schneider's role, rather than taking accountability or spending money that ownership won't commit, is sure to appeal to Atkins and the Blue Jays brass.