In Flight: Handing out awards for the 2024 Blue Jays

This is the 2024 campaign's 10th edition of "In Flight," where we take a look at the state of the Toronto Blue Jays.

It's been a disappointing year for the Blue Jays. A team expected to contend for a playoff spot again fell flat on its face and is trending toward finishing in the basement of the AL East for the first time since 2019. Toronto heads into the offseason with many questions to be answered. There will be plenty of time to look at those concerns but, here, we look back at the campaign that was and hand out our awards.

Most Valuable Player

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Guerrero struggled in recent years to replicate the form that saw him finish runner-up in AL MVP voting in 2021. He was an above-average offensive player in 2022 and 2023, but not a transcendent force. However, after a slow first few weeks of the 2024 campaign, Guerrero flipped a switch. The 25-year-old has been among the game's most impressive offensive players since the beginning of May and was particularly dominant in July and August, posting an OPS above 1.100 in both months. He's just one year away from free agency, and it appears both he and the Blue Jays want to continue the partnership beyond the 2025 campaign. Toronto will likely try to make an effort to sign Guerrero to an extension this winter, but it'll be fascinating to see how the team proceeds if he remains unsigned at the start of next season.

Best Pitcher

José Berríos

Berríos was the anchor of the rotation in 2024. The 30-year-old set a career high in wins and is on track to post the lowest ERA of his nine-year MLB career. He bounced back to the pitcher he's been throughout his career over the past two seasons after struggling to a 5.23 ERA in 2022. Berríos is technically under contract for another four years, but he has an opt-out clause after the 2026 campaign, his age-32 season. There's no reason outside of injury to expect Berríos' performance to fall off dramatically, so he'll again be counted on as one of the Blue Jays' top arms in 2025.

Best Rookie

Spencer Horwitz

The Blue Jays needed some homegrown success stories after relying on trades and free agency over the past few years. Horwitz looks like one of those stories. The 26-year-old always showcased a good eye in the minors, but there were concerns about how that would translate against big-league pitching and whether he'd be able to hit for enough power to carve out a consistent role. Horwitz has more than answered that call in his rookie campaign, posting an OPS over .800 with 12 home runs. He'll get plenty of playing time in 2025.

Gold Glove

Daulton Varsho

Varsho deserved a Gold Glove for his defensive exploits in 2023 and looks to have done enough to make that happen this season. He slid over to center field seamlessly after the Blue Jays moved Kevin Kiermaier at the trade deadline, and the 28-year-old ranked in the 99th percentile in outs above average and second among all outfielders in defensive runs saved. His bat will likely never be a huge asset, but Varsho was able to rack up 3.3 fWAR with a 99 wRC+ this season. He's an extremely valuable piece of the puzzle for the Blue Jays moving forward, and he remains under team control for another two seasons.

Best Play

Varsho made too many highlight-reel catches to count, routinely sacrificing his body and showing great awareness to cover ground in the outfield and make great plays. This spectacular grab in Seattle showcases everything that makes Varsho one of the game's best defensive outfielders.

Most Disappointing Player

Bo Bichette

It was a disastrous campaign for Bichette. The two-time All-Star slumped through the worst offensive season of his career and played just 81 games as a result of a strained calf and a fractured finger. The 26-year-old is just one year away from free agency, and there's been no indication that a long-term agreement to remain in Toronto is a possibility. The Blue Jays are in a precarious position - it's hard to imagine teams giving up a huge package to trade for a player coming off a career-worst campaign with just one year left on his contract. Toronto might be best served by playing it out with Bichette to start the 2025 season, hoping he bounces back, and potentially trading him at the deadline for a reasonable haul if it's clear an extension isn't in the cards.

Best Prospect

Alan Roden

Toronto's farm system ranks in the bottom third on most lists as injuries and underperformance continue to impact a number of key prospects. Ricky Tiedemann, Brandon Barriera, Landen Maroudis, and Adam Macko all dealt with injuries on the pitching side. But there were some positives in terms of position players, including 2023 first-round pick Arjun Nimmala. And Roden's continued excellence in the minors ranks as one of the more encouraging developments. The 24-year-old built off a strong 2023 campaign in which he hit .317 with an .889 OPS across a pair of minor-league levels. Roden showed well at Double-A this season and has found another gear with Triple-A Buffalo. He'll be a player to watch in spring training as somebody who could earn a roster spot with the big club in 2025.

Best acquisition

Signing and trading Isiah Kiner-Falefa

The Blue Jays signed the versatile Kiner-Falefa to a two-year, $15-million contract after he spent two seasons with the New York Yankees. He proceeded to put up the best offensive numbers of his career in Toronto, posting a 116 OPS+ with seven home runs and 33 RBIs in 83 games. They were out of contention at the trade deadline, so the Blue Jays flipped Kiner-Falefa to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Charles McAdoo, who immediately cracked the Blue Jays' top-10 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline. Kiner-Falefa's regressed at the plate with the Pirates since the trade, meanwhile, so getting off the hook for another year at $7.5 million while also adding an intriguing prospect is a nice piece of business.