The Toronto Blue Jays have a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. situation on their hands. The second-generation MLB star set a deadline for an extension deal with Toronto but that date had elapsed without him putting ink on paper.
Still, without an extension contract, Guerrero Jr. is on track to become a free agent by the end of the 2025 MLB season after signing a one-year deal worth $28.5 million in January for the final leg of his arbitration eligibility.
When it comes to a talent like Guerrero, there seems to be no such thing as being too early for teams to position themselves for a possible acquisition of the hard-hitting Canadian-Dominican pro. The Boston Red Sox are already being rumored as an early candidate to win the Vladimir Guerrero Jr. sweepstakes down the road with the 2025 MLB campaign still over a month away from commencing, according to baseball insider Jon Heyman of the MLB Network. Heyman also mentioned a couple of other teams in a recent post on social media.
“(Very) early favorites to land Vlad Jr. this winter: 1. Red Sox 2. Mets (assuming Pete opts out) 3. Yankees,” Heyman shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday morning.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is not just the only huge bat the Blue Jays will have to worry about losing at the end of the coming season, with shortstop Bo Bichette’s contract also due to expire. It is possible that the Blue Jays could lose both players this year either via free agency or trades.
Just 25 years old, Guerrero’s best years are likely still in front of him, making him an even bigger target for teams looking for a powerful and efficient bat. Guerrero, hit .323/.396/.544 in the 2024 season while also blasting 30 home runs and recording 103 RBIs. His 165 OPS+ that season was the second-best of his big league career, thus far. In addition, Guerrero has finished inside the top 10 of the American League Most Valuable Player voting twice and within the top 20 three times, including in 2021 when he was a runner-up to then-Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani.
As for the Red Sox, they are still reveling over their big coup this offseason, landing veteran third baseman and two-time World Series champion Alex Bregman on a three-year contract worth $120 million.
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