The Toronto Blue Jays are one of the five teams that have already given their contract offer to Juan Soto. But so have the other four teams, and while there aren’t any front runners, the word is that Soto might just end up in New York. Whether it’s the New York Mets or the New York Yankees remains to be seen. But they are building a winning team and are offering a huge contract deal. So, if the Blue Jays don’t want a blast from the past to haunt them, where they had no Plan B when they lost Shohei Ohtani, they need a backup plan.

This time, it seems they have one. If the Juan Soto deal doesn’t pan out, the team will offer a long-term extension to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The team did poorly this season, but he did exceptionally well with a .323 average, 30 homers, and 103 RBIs. Not to mention that he is younger than Soto, sitting at 25, so he is an asset. But will he be ready to go back to the Blue Jays after his contract ends? Well, insider Jim Bowden is here to splash water on the Blue Jay’s dreams.

Is Vladimir Guerrero Jr. going to go free agent next year?

Every season, we have one big player everyone is crazy about. Last year it was Shohei Ohtani, and this year it’s Juan Soto, and the next year will be Vladimir Guerrero, according to Jim Bowden. “He’ll be the Juan Soto of next offseason. He’s going to get [to free agency],” Bowden noted on the Sportsnet podcast. According to him, no matter what amount the Jays offered, he didn’t see a pathway for Guerrero to end up with them anymore.

As for the offer, according to the sources, the Toronto Blue Jays would offer Vladimir Guerrero around $259 million over ten years. That makes his average take-home salary $25.9 million per season. However, Bowden mentions that once Vladimir Guerrero reaches the free-agent market, the value will rise even more. The number he mentions if Vladimir Guerrero is in his form is $400 million.

For Bowden, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is in his prime, just 25 years old, playing in a stellar fashion, so his getting to a world championship team seems better. Well, this isn’t great news for the Blue Jays!

Toronto Blue Jays might need to make a big gamble

The Toronto Blue Jays are at a standstill. They want to sign Juan Soto but can’t let go of Guerrero Jr. too. This is because Juan Soto is looking for a winning team, and his coming to a team where Vladimir’s powerful presence isn’t there seems unlikely. But to retain both seems impossible for the Blue Jays because they both have big numbers in their contracts. But they have a way out, and that can happen if they let go of Juan Soto’s race.

The Blue Jays, instead of focusing on Soto, can move to Teoscar Hernandez. He is no Soto but has had an exceptional year, smashing 33 home runs and driving in 99 RBIs. He was a key player in the Dodgers lineup for the World Series. Now that he is a free agent, insider Ken Rosenthal predicted that Hernandez doesn’t end up with the Dodgers—the Blue Jays make perfect sense to him. “If Hernández somehow does not land back with the Dodgers, the Blue Jays might be his most logical destination,” said Rosenthal.

Firstly, because he has played for the Blue Jays and also because he has a great friendship with Vladmir Guerrero Jr. So, for the Jays, it seems like killing two birds with one stone, almost. Will Guerrero Jr. end up staying after Hernandez comes—well, that’s a risk the team needs to make. But yes, Hernandez sure won’t cost $600 million for them. Saving them enough to spend later on!

So, what do you think will happen with the Toronto Blue Jays? Let us know in the comments.