Article: Three Things To Look Forward To In the Blue Jays' 2025 Season

[jaysblue]

It's easy to convince yourself the end is nigh. Instead, let's look at some positives that can come out of the 2025 season.

After a disastrous 2024 season, the offseason hasn’t gone as Blue Jays fans had hoped. With the uncertainty surrounding Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the team's failure to sign premium free agents like Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes, it seems like deja vu as the Blue Jays head into 2025. 

It’s easy to be discouraged by this ballclub's current situation. However, there is still time left in the offseason to make upgrades. Time is running out, with spring training just around the corner and fewer options available via free agency.

Trying to put a positive spin on this ballclub can be difficult, though it’s not all doom and gloom. They’re still things to look forward to in 2025 with the Blue Jays, whether they end up contending or not. 

The Emergence Of Bowden Francis
Bowden Francis, one of the few bright spots on the 2024 team, will be watched to see whether he can build on his strong rookie campaign in 2025. 

Francis was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the seventh round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft and was traded to the Blue Jays along with Trevor Richards on July 6th, 2021, in exchange for Rowdy Tellez. 

In 2024, Francis appeared in 27 games, 13 of them starts, going 8-5 with a 3.30 ERA (4.36 FIP) along with a 7.99 K/9, 1.91 BB/9, and 92 K’s over 103.2 innings. 

Francis opened some eyes with his masterful performance against the Angels on August 24th, where he threw eight no-hit innings before Taylor Ward hit a leadoff home run in the top of the ninth to break it up. To back up that performance, Francis did it again with eight no-hit innings against the Mets on September 11th, only for Francisco Lindor to hit a game-tying home run. Francis took home the American League Pitcher of the Month honors in August after going 4-1 with a 1.05 ERA across 34.1 innings, allowing only 10 hits, along with 39 K’s and 4 BB. 

At 28 years of age, Francis could be a fixture in a veteran Blue Jays rotation in 2025 and beyond! If Francis can build off his success from 2024, the Blue Jays rotation, along with Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, and Chris Bassitt, likely will be one of the team’s strengths in 2025. 

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. & Bo Bichette In Contract Years
To some fans, the reality that these two stars might leave the Blue Jays after 2025 may be harsh. So far, both have remained unsigned past 2025, and whether the Blue Jays can work out an extension with either is unknown. However, a trade before spring training is possible, though unlikely. 

Regardless, Blue Jays fans should enjoy one last ride with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette in 2025—it could be fun! 

Vladimir Guerrero bounced back after a slow first two months in 2024 and finished with a .323/.396/.544 line, along with 30 HR, 103 RBI, 165 wRC+, and a 5.5 WAR. After seeing the type of contract Juan Soto received this offseason, Vladdy is motivated to go out there and mash! At age 26, we could see Vladdy having a season to remember!

Bo Bichette struggled with injuries throughout most of 2024 and hasn’t been the same since returning from the right knee injury he suffered in August 2023. If Bichette returns with a clean bill of health in 2025, we could see a return to the same player who led the American League in hits in both the 2021 and 2022 seasons, where Bichette put together 4.9 and 4.8 WAR seasons. At 27, with a potential big payday looming, Bichette will be motivated to prove the naysayers wrong. Shortstop Willy Adames turned a 4.8 WAR season in which he hit 32 HR and 112 RBI into a seven-year, $182 million contract with the San Francisco Giants.

So why get excited? Well, if the Blue Jays can get a combined 10+ WAR from both Vladdy and Bo in 2025, it would put the Blue Jays in a better position and likely within reach for one of the three AL Wild Card spots. Lastly, it would be fun to watch both Vladdy and Bo have explosive years offensively, reminiscent of their 2021 seasons. It's not out of the question! 

The 2025 Trade Deadline
Blue Jays fans can look forward to this date for two reasons: 

1) The Jays have played well over the first 3-4 months. Therefore, they’re buyers and are pushing for a postseason berth.

Or 

2) It’s the start of the rebuild. 

If the Blue Jays get off to a solid start in 2025 and stick around in the thick of things in a tough AL East, we could see the Blue Jays looking to add before the trade deadline to push for one of the three AL Wildcard spots. It likely would be the last chance with this group, led by Vladdy and Bo, to go on a postseason run. We’ve seen teams sneak in as wild cards and succeed in the postseason. Look at the Rangers and Diamondbacks in 2023 or the Mets and Tigers in 2024. 

If the Blue Jays get off to a slow start again in 2025 and dig themselves into a deep hole early, it’s likely the end of the Ross Atkins era in Toronto, signaling the start of a rebuild. The Blue Jays would likely trade all expiring contracts, including Vladdy and Bo, for future pieces. For all prospect buffs or Blue Jays fans in general, it could be exciting to watch a new young core take shape in Toronto over the next several years. Sure, there would be some growing pains, but with a plan in place and a dedicated ownership group such as Rogers, who has shown a willingness to spend, it shouldn’t take too long to see the Blue Jays returning as an AL East contender.

Baseball has many ups and downs, highs and lows, especially over a 162-game season. With less than three months until Opening Day 2025, there are still reasons to tune into the Blue Jays this season, whether or not this team plays in October. 

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[BTS]

Just realized this was written by jaysblue 

[Brock Beauchamp]

4 hours ago, BTS said:

Just realized this was written by jaysblue 

It was!