5 Blue Jays that need to step up soon to avoid being trade deadline sellers

The Toronto Blue Jays have had a rough season so far in 2024 as they have seen their pitching but more evidently their hitting struggle at various times over the course of the season. Their star players haven’t been exactly leading the way, and the complementary pieces also haven’t been providing enough secondary support to help the team to more success. 

As a result, after getting swept by their arch rivals Boston Red Sox in three games, the Jays now sit in the AL East basement with a 35-39 record and six full games out of the third and final Wild Card playoff spot. They will really need to start turning things around soon to avoid falling out of contention and subsequently become trade deadline sellers. To do so, the Jays desperately need some of their key offensive producers to pick up their game big time to help lead the way.

Here, we will take a look at five players that will need to provide more significant and consistent contributions going forward for the Jays to have any chance in remaining a legitimate contender.

Bo Bichette

The most surprising and perplexing player on the Jays’ squad this season has to be star shortstop Bo Bichette. For one of the most prolific and consistent hitters since the turn of the decade, Bichette has always been front-and-center leading the charge for the team. Not only has he been able to put up stellar offensive numbers, he seemed to be getting better and better after each season.

As a result, no one really saw it coming when Bichette would endure in the worst slump of his career in 2024. In 66 games, he has hit only .237 with a .628 OPS, together with just 22 runs scored, 4 home runs and 28 RBI. At this rate, Bichette is on pace for easily his worst season as a pro. More worrisome was the fact that something just doesn’t seem right for Bichette.

On top of that, it is kind of hard for the Jays to maintain their hope and motivation to turn things around this year when the heart and soul of the team is struggling so badly. However, with his current right calf strain injury, it could actually be a blessing in disguise as it will now give Bichette the much-needed time off to reset and re-focus on his game. In doing so, hopefully when he gets back, he will revert to his dominant form that we have been accustomed to and help lead the Jays back into a team of significance in the coming months.