Ross Atkins takes his first loss of the offseason with Bo Bichette trade stance

The Toronto Blue Jays are looking to turn the tides after a brutal season that ended with well-documented tumult in the locker room. After cracking the postseason in 2023, the Blue Jays utterly collapsed in 2024, finishing 14 games below .500 and dead last in a competitive AL East.

One can blame just about everyone involved with the product last season, but a few noteworthy figureheads command the majority of the guilt. Few are more bemoaned around the fandom than GM Ross Atkins, who let the roster fall into disrepair after multiple failed bids at the offseason's top talents.

The Blue Jays were famously close to landing Shohei Ohtani last winter, but the now-World Series champ decided to sign with the Dodgers instead. Then, Toronto went after Juan Soto, only to be undermined by their division rivals from New York.

Now Soto is back on the market, and all the reporting around Toronto suggests an aggressive offseason approach. If Toronto can land the biggest free agent fish — or even pivot to several high-level additions — fans will be content. That said, this feels awfully similar to last winter, when fans were set up for disappointment from the jump.

A recent comment from Ross Atkins surely won't endear him to a disgruntled fandom.

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Ross Atkins won't trade Bo Bichette if teams dial up Blue Jays this offseason

On the surface, this is an admirable stance from Atkins. The Blue Jays should, ideally, keep — and pay — their best players. Last season aside, Bo Bichette has been one of the best hitters in the American League and he's a sharp glove at shortstop, one of the most important defensive positions. His value is significant and, at 26 years old, there's a world in which Bichette is a face of Blue Jays baseball for the next decade.

That said, Bichette's 2024 campaign was especially brutal. The entire team, save for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., struggled on some level, but Bichette's decline was difficult to comprehend. Having led the American League in hits twice during his brief career, Bichette's batting average plummeted from a career-high .306 in 2023 to a career-worst .225 last season. He dealt with injuries (limited to 81 games and 336 ABs), but Bichette's issues felt deeper.

At one point, it was even reported that Bichette would welcome a trade. That is not the same as requesting or demanding a trade, and Bichette has since made his best attempt at damage control, but the cat is out of the bag. Bichette isn't especially content in Toronto and his contract expires after the 2025 season, which means the clock is ticking with no extension in sight.

If Toronto isn't going to re-up Bichette's deal before the season, trading him is a no-brainer. It's just not worth the risk of losing him for nothing. His recent struggles are another reason to consider moving on. If the Blue Jays keep him around and Bichette tanks again, his value will plummet and Toronto could wind up with a falling "star" it no longer wants.

The idea of landing Soto, extending Guerrero and Bichette, and winning the AL East for the next five years is an enticing one, but it also feels a bit like a pipe dream. Even if the Blue Jays can somehow convince Soto to head north of the border, the real center of that team will be Soto and Guerrero. Odds are Soto's historic contract would take a Bichette extension off the table, making a trade even more sensible.

Letting this drag out, only to lose Bichette in free agency, would qualifty as a disastrous mismangement of resources for Toronto. Hopefully Ross Atkins doesn't stick too strongly to his own words here.