Do you think the Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto deal was a blessing for them? Well, you are wrong—they were a blessing in disguise for many players too! One of them was Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and he talked about how Juan Soto’s deal upped the paycheck ask for him. And with that Vladimir also mentioned that he and the Toronto Blue Jays are far apart from a middle ground. But what’s crazy is that Toronto truly should be trying to retain Guerrero Jr. by any means.

They are literally in the toughest division in baseball, the AL East. The New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox, and even the Baltimore Orioles are here. And they have made big strides this off-season. And Jays, meanwhile, have overthought and missed on players. Andrew Friedman once famously said if a team is too cautious in free agency, they will end up finishing third or so in the race of players. That seems to be the case here! Now insiders like Steve Phillips are suggesting alternatives to Guerrero Jr. if retaining him is not a possibility for the Jays.

Two Scott Boras clients to the Blue Jays?

Guerrero Jr. is looking for at least $450 million and north, according to sources. And as per Phillips, Toronto and Vlad are at least $100 million apart. This is huge. “I think the Blue Jays missed the window. This is a deal. They needed to get it done as soon as the season ended,” said Phillips. That was when the Blue Jays could have finalized it, maybe in $350 million. But when Soto signed, the money got up. Well, it tells Phillips only one thing – Toronto isn’t going to re-sign Guerrero Jr. In that case, Steve Phillips suggests three names they could get as a replacement.

Much like the New York Yankees did this offseason after they lost Soto – the Blue Jays could distribute the money among many players. Steve suggests signing Pete Alonso, Anthony Santander, and Alex Bregman, who they are already on to. “Trade Vladimir Guerrero Jr., restock your farm system, trade him to Seattle, get a young pitcher,” he mentioned. For Phillips, this makes sense because then the team can have a lineup with Bo Bichette, Bregman, Alonso, and Santander, among the rest, and it could be a ‘playoff contender’ team.

That would be seismic news. But, there is a big but! Vlad becomes a free agent just by the end of the year. So, the Jays have already limited themselves by not getting this trade done. Who is going to trade Vlad with that amount this year? It’s a question the team has to think about.

Can the Blue Jays replace Vladimir Guerrero Jr.?

The Toronto Blue Jays have struggled to build a good enough roster for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to stick around. But Guerrero Jr. himself mentioned on Abriendo Sports that he is open to extension negotiations until the first full day of spring training. But they are nowhere close to a deal yet! And with the clock ticking, the plausible trade scenarios are flocking to the baseball space. And Bleacher Reports’ Zachary D. Rhymer proposed one.

Rymer’s hypothetical deal involves the New York Yankees. It would send Marcus Stroman and Ben Rice to Toronto. And in exchange, Schneider could ease Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s departure. Rymer suggests that this move can be great for Toronto. Stroman is a familiar face and pitched for the team from 2014 to 2019. So, he would bolster the rotation with Chris Bassitt, Bowden Francis, Kevin Gausman, and Jose Berrios.

As far as Rice goes, he is a 25-year-old first baseman/catcher, and he could develop as a DH in 2025, before stepping into Vlad’s shoes in 2026. Now let’s be honest: there is no easy road to replacing Vlad, a four-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner. But Rice, with his seven homers in his limited appearances with the Yanks, does offer some promise.

In this meanwhile, Guerrero Jr. could be the next Juan Soto of the next off-season. Do you think that Jays would do anything to get him back? Comment below!