Toronto Blue Jays setting groundwork for extending young core

The Toronto Blue Jays are in a difficult position when it comes to their young core.

While their younger players have made the Blue Jays competitive, it is getting to be time for those youngsters to be paid. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has already entered arbitration, while the likes of Bo Bichette and Jordan Romano will be eligible this offseason. These players are going to get expensive quickly.

Toronto Blue Jays hoping to lock in young core

While the Blue Jays are going to have to pay these players, they may be able to find some cost certainty. According to Ben Nicholson-Smith from SportsNet, the Blue Jays have begun to lay the groundwork for long term deals with some of their young stars.

He went on to speculate that the Blue Jays were looking to sign Guerrero, Bichette, and Alek Manoah to extensions, keeping that core intact for years to come. Guerrero is only going to get more expensive as the years pass by, especially if he posts another MVP caliber season before reaching free agency. He had also said that he wants to stay in Toronto, hoping to get a deal done in the near future.

Bichette is just about to start getting paid, but he will also get expensive quickly. MLB Trade Rumors pegs Bichette at $6.1 million for his first trip through arbitration, a number that will increase in subsequent years. As he has led the American League in hits in each of the past two seasons, and provides a strong mix of power and speed out of the shortstop position, he is the type of player that the Blue Jays need to keep for the long term.

Pitching extensions are a difficult beast given the potential for injury and regression as was proven with Jose Berrios. However, Manoah could end up as the Blue Jays’ next homegrown ace, a top of the rotation arm that could pair with Kevin Gausman and give Toronto a dominant 1-2 punch.

Those extensions could only be the beginning. Romano could be worth locking in to solidify the closer spot, especially if he has another dominant season in 2023. Alejandro Kirk or Gabriel Moreno, depending on which catcher the Blue Jays want to build around, could get a long term deal. And then there are the likes of Matt Chapman and Teoscar Hernandez. The Blue Jays could be busy this offseason.

The Toronto Blue Jays are reportedly looking to lock in some of their young core. This could be an expensive offseason just from those deals alone.