Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero recently admitted he and the club did not come “close” to signing an extension this offseason, which kickstarted rumors that Guerrero will be traded in the near future before he has a chance to walk in free agency.
Guerrero has been one of the few bright spots for the Blue Jays, who have notably swung and missed on several free agents over the past few offseasons. However, his asking price has evidently continued to rise, which may be why the Blue Jays have not been able to work out a long-term deal with the 25-year-old slugger.
While it would seem logical for the Blue Jays to give Guerrero the proverbial world, especially considering the megadeals the likes of Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto have gotten over the past two seasons, Toronto seems hesitant to do so. And if the Jays continue to drag this along, a trade, insiders say, could and possibly should be coming.
“They don’t want to [trade Guerrero] … but if they’re out of contention, they’ll have to,” Blue Jays reporter Keegan Matheson said. “Losing Guerrero at any point means that the Blue Jays will need to find their next version of him to build around, and there’s no sure bet in the farm system right now. If the point comes when dealing Guerrero could kickstart their future, they must consider it seriously.”
Mets reporter Anthony DiComo and national reporter Mark Feinsand agreed, saying that it is only logical for the team to trade Guerrero if they have no chance of winning a title or aren’t sure they can keep Guerrero when the time comes. The worst-case scenario would be Guerrero signing with another team in the offseason, leaving Toronto with nothing but heartbreak.
The Los Angeles Angels experienced just that when they decided not to trade Ohtani during the 2023 season, after which he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Although a different situation, Soto signed with the New York Mets this offseason after a short stint with their crosstown rivals, the New York Yankees, which left many hard feelings behind in the Bronx.
Guerrero has been one of the best sluggers in MLB for several years now; in 2021, he hit a MLB-best 48 home runs, 111 RBIs, and had batting splits of .401 AVG / .601 SLG / 1.002 OPS. He finished second in MVP voting that season and earned his first All-Star selection and Silver Slugger Award. Since then, he has become a four-time All-Star, a Gold Glove winner, and a two-time Silver Slugger recipient.
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