This story was excerpted from Keegan Matheson’s Blue Jays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Enjoy these games while you can.

It hasn’t been a banner year for enjoyment, of course, but the Blue Jays are entering the final few weeks of their 2024 season. On the morning of Sept. 30, we’ll all be staring down nearly seven months until Toronto's 2025 season opener.

In the meantime, let’s get to your questions:

How much effort will the Jays put toward signing Vladdy this offseason? And will they get it done? -- @JanMalcolm67

Effort shouldn’t be an issue, but money and years will be. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the face of this franchise again. It’s bigger than just his numbers. These players don’t come around often, and when they do, you need to do everything possible to keep them around.

Keep Aaron Judge in mind. Yes, he went to free agency, but that was all part of the process. The market itself can play a role, so even if the Blue Jays don’t extend Guerrero this winter, that door shouldn’t close. Besides, what better way to grab this fan base? They deserve some good news.

What do you foresee with this young group of players as far as 2025 goes? Will we see [Will] Wagner, [Joey] Loperfido, [Addison] Barger, [Spencer] Horwitz, etc., as regulars or in a platoon split? -- Zinny

The idea that keeps jumping out to me is a platoon of Spencer Horwitz and Orelvis Martinez (Toronto's No. 1 prospect) at second base, even though the organization has cooled to the idea of Horwitz at second. Teams aren’t tripping over themselves to platoon prospects, but the Blue Jays need offense and these two are a tantalizing match. Having six to eight “good” players is nice. Chasing one “great” outcome sounds more fun, and if Horwitz really will be limited to first base and DH again, a platoon situation still makes some sense.

Is there a chance Bo and the Jays still work out an extension? -- @Shuman2100

Never say never, but as it stands today, it’s likelier that Guerrero stays in Toronto beyond 2025 than Bo Bichette. Vladdy has fully re-established his value, but coming off a poor, injury-plagued year, it’s suddenly more difficult to pin down what a Bichette extension would look like.

Bichette holds himself to an extremely high standard, something that can often lead to him being hard on himself when he’s not performing. I was bullish on Bichette coming into 2024, but it hasn’t happened. I’ll get ahead of it again by saying that next spring, there will not be a more motivated player in Dunedin when camp opens in February. I’d bet big on Bichette’s '25 season.

Do you see Ricky Tiedemann, Jake Bloss or Tre Yesavage making a run for the last starter spot next season? -- Will F.

If Tiedemann (Blue Jays' No. 4 prospect) gets some innings down the stretch next year, or even takes a dark-horse run at a bullpen gig in September, that’s a success. Yesavage (No. 2 prospect) still needs a year-plus in the Minors, but Bloss (No. 3 prospect) should have every opportunity to be the No. 6 starter at the very least. If Bowden Francis or Yariel Rodríguez falter, or if an injury hits, he’s right there.

To what extent can the Jays evaluate their young players during the remainder of the season? … Is the sample size big enough to yield meaningful information? -- Mike P.

I still believe in Davis Schneider’s ability to adjust and rebound eventually -- let’s revisit that next February -- but for now, he’s a cautionary tale. The Blue Jays can let September numbers point them in a direction, but it’s dangerous to trust them too much and even more dangerous to let them change their offseason plan.

With the Jays’ recent success post-Trade Deadline, [how has that helped] John Schneider? -- @JordanSager5

I’ve been impressed by how Schneider has handled the last five weeks, from the chaotic Trade Deadline through the current youth movement. We talk about development all the time with players, but not nearly enough with managers, and I’ve seen that this year. If the Blue Jays really value consistency, Schneider can be part of that. Give him a bullpen to work with in 2025.

Which of the younger guys do you think make the team out of Spring Training? Any chance they use some as trade bait? -- @Adambl555

Keep that second idea in mind. Building a bullpen is expensive these days, but the Blue Jays could use some of their infield depth to their advantage here. Wagner (No. 19 prospect) has really impressed the staff and front office -- and Ernie Clement is a great utility option -- but something’s got to give. This group is the “strength” the Blue Jays can deal from.

As future changes to the game start to materialize, particularly the possibility of the ABS zone in the Majors sometime soon, do you see any long-term future for Kirk if his bat remains simply average? Do you think it changes the way catcher value will be approached by the front office? -- Luke O.

This will be an interesting one to track with Alejandro Kirk in the coming years. For 2025, Kirk still fits much better in a tandem, like he had with Danny Jansen. The Blue Jays don’t have much upper-Minors catching depth, so another MLB-caliber catcher isn’t just a preference, it’s absolutely necessary. This is where the Blue Jays can target some power upside, too. It feels like I’m just describing a Jansen reunion, doesn’t it?

What's your biggest concern going into 2025? -- @MrReiki07

For now, it’s the bullpen. Think back to 2021, when the Blue Jays had one of the best lineups we’ll ever see in Toronto, but let a few games slip away over the course of the season. My concern with the bullpen rebuild lies in the fact that it’s the most complicated part of the equation, and even if the Blue Jays nail it by Opening Day, bullpens are still so hard to predict. This organization needs multiple legitimate big league relievers.