Atkins on Vlad, Bo trade talks: ‘It just doesn’t make any sense for us’

TORONTO — Ross Atkins is pumping the brakes on any major changes to the Blue Jays right now.

Speaking on MLB Network Radio ahead of Sunday’s game against the Pirates, the Blue Jays’ general manager downplayed the notion that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Bo Bichette — the two franchise cornerstones under team control through the end of the 2025 season — would be traded.

“It just doesn’t make any sense for us,” Atkins said. “There will be occasional times when you’re talking to other executives, when they’ll ask if you’d consider it, and we just say it’s not something that we have spent any time on. Because they are so talented and such great teammates, they are attractive to other teams, so they will call.”

The realities of the Blue Jays’ season, payroll and competitive window have brought those questions naturally. With a 27-30 record entering Sunday and a struggling offense, Toronto faces an uphill climb to compete for a postseason spot. If the club can’t force its way back into that picture in 2024, this organization will need to decide between making one big push with the duo in ’25 or pivoting from one (or both) in an effort to further extend the contention window.

Atkins wasn’t pleased that this has become a talking point in recent weeks, a stretch that’s included an AL executive who told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand that the Blue Jays were not “opposed to it” and had talked with other teams. But this is almost unavoidable when you have a team like Toronto sitting on the wrong side of the postseason picture with players nearing the end of their club control.

Until the Blue Jays jump back into contention, you’ll continue to hear the same about these names, along with Yusei Kikuchi, Danny Jansen and Yimi García — all of whom are pending free agents. Expand that to players whose club control ends in 2025 (like Guerrero and Bichette) and the list grows longer.

Atkins said he’s been encouraged by the Blue Jays’ play through May, though, particularly Guerrero’s hot streak, and he described extension talks with these players as ongoing.

“Of course, we have dialogue with them, and that is something that will continue,” Atkins said. “We believe in them. We believe in their futures and hope that there is a way they can play here for a long time.”

The other expected focus when a team isn’t meeting expectations? The manager.

Atkins threw his support behind John Schneider, as well, calling his work “incredible” and saying that the 44-year-old manager in his second full season is “at the forefront of our environment.”

“I just don’t believe in changing [just] to change, or change for the sake of trying something different,” Atkins said. “We have to be better. I do not feel that John Schneider has been anything but part of the solution, and [he] will continue to be.”

It’s clear that the Blue Jays need to save this season from within. Yes, they have prospects on the cusp at Triple-A Buffalo, but Sunday’s decision to start Guerrero at third base continues to suggest this organization is exhausting all other options before taking any risks with a young rookie. So much can change in the coming weeks and months, but for now, the man in charge is betting on his stars to turn things around and his manager to lead the way.