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The Blue Jays were in on Shohei Ohtani last offseason, and Juan Soto this offseason. Clearly, they are motivated to try to land a star, particularly after finishing last in the crowded AL East a year ago.
You can make an argument that they would be better off taking a step back in 2025 and shopping Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and/or Bo Bichette, both of whom can become free agents after next season.
That doesn’t appear to be the path president Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins are going to take. While it doesn’t sound like trading Bichette is completely off the table after landing Andrés Giménez from the Cleveland Guardians, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic recently reported the Blue Jays are trying to reach a long-term extension to keep Guerrero in the 6.
One way to convince Guerrero to stay might be to sign another star to a long-term contract, and Burnes would fit that bill. He could headline Toronto’s rotation, which also includes Kevin Gausman, Bowden Francis, José Berríos and Chris Bassitt. That would be a very loaded rotation, perhaps so deep that the Blue Jays could move either Gausman or Bassitt for another piece(s) to help their roster in 2025.