MLB Rumors: Blue Jays want to keep winning as Bichette, Guerrero extensions loom
A series of important decisions loom on the horizon for Toronto Blue Jays CEO Mark Shapiro and his front office crew, none bigger than potential contract extensions for Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Toronto finished the season as the No. 6 seed in a competitive American League, swiftly meeting their doom at the hands of the Minnesota Twins. For all the winning Toronto did in the regular season, a third-place finish in the East division and a quick, clean first-round exit makes it hard to express much optimism about the future. There are those who wonder if the team has reached its competitive ceiling.
Bichette, 25, and Guerrero, 24, form the foundation of Toronto's competitive core. Both are young. Both could potentially provide star-level impact for at least another decade. If the Blue Jays see a competitive path in the remotely near future, there's every reason to pony up and pay them. If Toronto decides to go in another direction, however, both are free agents in 2025. The clock is ticking.
When asked if he plans to extend his star players, Shapiro told reporters he plans to "sustain the opportunity to win."
That would appear to hint at a desire to keep Bichette and Guerrero Jr. around, even if he's not directly addressing the players by name. Bichette and Guerrero are two of the best all-around infielders in baseball. There's not a world in which a winning directive doesn't include keeping them on the roster.
MLB Rumors: Orioles' Jackson Holliday will compete for roster spot in 2024 spring training
Jackson Holliday, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, will participate in Baltimore Orioles spring training with a goal of making the 2024 roster, according to GM Mike Elias.
There has to be natural excitement for Orioles fans, who view the 19-year-old as the potential next piece of the competitive puzzle. Baltimore shocked the baseball world with an impressive 101-win season, but the No. 1 seed in the American League was just swept out of the ALDS by the Texas Rangers. There's a lot of work left to be done.
Holliday, who splits time between shortstop and second base, is currently the No. 1 prospect in the league according to MLB Pipeline.
"The combination of nature and nurture certainly come into play, with growing up around the game clearly helping Holliday's overall skillset. He has an extremely advanced approach at the plate, and he showed it off by walking more than twice as much as he struck out during his debut last summer. He has a simple left-handed stroke he got back to after his swing got a little long last summer, allowing him make more hard contact than ever, with plenty of power coming organically from his swing."
The son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holiday, the younger Holiday comes from a strong baseball family. The Orioles were a great team in large part due to the explosive young players graduating out of the farm system. With Holliday ascending quicker than expected — along with other top prospects like Colton Cowser and Heston Kjerstad in the outfield — the Orioles are about to get another strong influx of talent in the years to come.
Holliday slashed .323/.442/.941 with 12 home runs, 75 RBIs, and 24 stolen bases in 477 minor league at-bats this season.
MLB Rumors: Angels passed up blockbuster Shohei Ohtani trade before deadline
With each passing day, the odds of Shohei Ohtani returning to the Los Angeles Angels seem to dwindle. Today, there are reports of him becoming more open to playing on the east coast. Even with long-term questions about his pitching arm, Ohtani is expected to command a historic contract due to his prolific plate presence and massive international fame.
The Angels kept Ohtani despite the well-documented risk of him leaving in free agency. At the time, Los Angeles was in the postseason hunt with a chance to finally deliver Ohtani to baseball's biggest stage. In classic Angels fashion, however, the season sputtered out of control in the final months and Ohtani is once again watching the playoffs from his couch.
Ohtani wants to win. The Angels can't reasonably claim to provide him the best opportunity to do so, even if there's value in the comfort of normalcy after six years with the franchise. If Ohtani does leave, it means the Angels will lose the greatest baseball player of a generation for nothing. That would be catastrophic.
So catastrophic, in fact, that the Angels may be feeling regret over not trading Ohtani when the opportunity was there. Especially with the hefty trade packages being offered.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Angels received a trade proposal from the Tampa Bay Rays featuring three of the team's top-10 prospects, including Junior Caminero — the No. 6 overall prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. That would have been a huge boost to the farm system for a potentially rebuilding franchise. Instead, the Angels stand prepared to watch Ohtani walk scot-free.
Hindsight is 20-20, but the Angels probably should have seen this coming...
