What options do the Blue Jays have left with Vladimir Guerrero Jr
With the recent comments from The Athletic's Jim Bowden regarding Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s impending free agency, it appears that the Blue Jays may have officially found themselves out of runway to extend their talented and charismatic superstar.
As highlighted with the feverish chase teams have experienced last year with Shohei Ohtani followed by this offseason featuring Juan Soto, Guerrero Jr. is apparently now focused on determining what his comparative market value would be as the premier commodity available on the hot stove in 2025.
It would hard to blame him with crazy numbers being thrown around for Soto, who some would say is a very close comparable with the only major difference being where they set-up on the diamond.
Soto, an outfielder by trade grades out as average to below average defensively with Guerrero Jr. who could be considered similarly average statistically on the infield.
Keep in mind as well that Guerrero Jr. also won a gold glove after shifting positions early on in his career from 3B to 1B, a position that could be considered significantly more difficult to play effectively while also handling the ball much more often than in the outfield.
Offensively, Soto has been much more consistent and patient at the plate, but the difference between the two is negligible with each producing at a similarly impressive clip over their young careers.
Factor in the fact that both Soto and Vlad will be 26 as they hit the open market, a rarity when considering the overall marketplace.
Traditionally, each still have their best years ahead of them, something that teams are willing to pay handsomely for the long-term.
So, with Soto expecting to receive offers in the $600M to $700M range, it would only seem plausible that Guerrero Jr. could easily fetch $500M+ on the open market if he were to produce a similar season to his output in 2024.
Why would he want to re-up for well below that, as he has been rumored to receive offers in the $300M range from the Jays thus far?
We, as fans, can sometimes have a warped sense of reality when trying to determine the best move talented assets like Guerrero Jr. should be willing to make.
As much as fans in Toronto may love cheering for him, love does not carry a quantifiable contract value.
Which ultimately leads to the big question, what should the Jays do with their most valuable asset?
Trade Vladimir Guerrero Jr this offseason
As the Jays are facing some very tough decisions, trading Vlad now may provide the quickest pathway to fill some of the glaring holes in their lineup.
By moving him now, you can argue that in providing whichever team acquiring him a full year of production you may yield additional trade value in return.
So much so, that the potential to acquire one or more significant contributors, combined with the ability to focus specific attention towards the foreseeable future by leveraging the free agent market could expedite a rebuild.
The negative would be the perceived blow back from the fanbase as they struggle with the realities of running a baseball club. Furthermore, entrusting such an important move to the current brain trust could be concerning due to their questionable acquisitional record along with their motives in retaining their roles which seemed to be firmly tied to a successful 2025 season.
Trade Vladimir Guerrero Jr at the deadline, regardless of record
Again, the asset return is the driver here which would likely be somewhat limited as the loss of controllability significantly reduces the impact of the move. At the same time, a targeted move of overpaying in prospects in a heated bidding war has the potential to prove the difference between an early playoff exit, and a world series title.
The worst-case scenario here would be if Toronto was in playoff contention at the deadline and were forced to jettison Vlad during a season that he might be in the MVP discussion, which would be required if the Jays were pushing for the playoffs.
Do nothing and let him walk for a compensation pick in the draft
This would be the least efficient usage of Guerrero Jr. as an asset, as it returns minimal guaranteed value with any potential dividends being realized years down the road.
It would also be classified as yet another abject failure of management to secure the future of the franchise assuredly leading to a turnover of club management which would be the only positive in this plan.
Do nothing and attempt to re-sign him by outbidding everyone else next winter
If you ever wanted to know how serious Valdy is about wanting to play out the remainder of his career north of the border, then this is the option to take.
Sadly, it may be one last depressing disappointment after crashing and burning in 2024 while considering the previous two off-seasons.
Unless this team is able to turn last year's struggles into a measurable improvement founded around a future of hope and promise, attracting free agents to a sinking ship situation like this would be next to impossible.
I can only imagine how much management would have to pony up to retain Guerrero Jr.'s services.
All in all, there are a plethora of options available right now, but every day that passes between now and spring training, the options and therefore the return gets smaller and smaller, as does the margin of error for the Blue Jays brass.
The game of chicken is afoot, and Guerrero Jr. is driving a big rig while Jays management has commandeered a clown car.
The end is coming quickly and more likely than not, it will be painful for most so strap on your seatbelts it is bound to be a bumpy ride.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 4 | 129 ANSWERS What options do the Blue Jays have left with Vladimir Guerrero Jr What should the Blue Jays do with Vladimir Guerrero Jr.? | ||
| Trade him this offseason | 17 | 13.2 % |
| Trade him at the deadline, regardless of record | 9 | 7 % |
| Do nothing and let him walk for a comp. pick | 2 | 1.6 % |
| Do nothing and attempt to re-sign him next year | 101 | 78.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
