Even if Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wanted to stay with the Toronto Blue Jays, it looks a little far-fetched now. In a recent Dominican podcast, the 25-year-old expressed his thoughts of staying in Toronto, given the extension is within his desired deadline. With only 11 months remaining before he can enter his free agent market, this young talent knows his worth, and well, he is hitting it off the mound!

To be fair, this might be good business for the Blue Jays, too. With high-end negotiations going on since the beginning of this offseason, no party has yet been able to land anywhere. So, in this scenario, if the Blue Jays could trade Vladdy, they might have the chance to land younger players on a budget—past events have also shown how trading a skilled player can work out amazingly for both parties. 

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is not likely to re-sign the Blue Jays

Spending his career so far at Toronto, the first and third baseman had the second-best season this year after 2021, with a .940 OPS. Given his performance on the mound, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is now expecting big from the market—after all, he will be a free agent in 2025. The Mets signed Juan Soto at a record-breaking $765 million deal, and this makes it clear how Vlad’s market price has risen. So, he is all in to test his free agency this season if the Blue Jays fail to end his meets.

“I have no idea which direction they (the Blue Jays) are going. I told them last summer they should’ve traded Vlad. I think they’re gonna be kicking themselves for not doing that because I don’t think he’s gonna resign them,” sportscaster Chris Rose and former MLB player Trevor Plouffe discussed during their exchange on JM Baseball. Losing Soto and Burnes this offseason, the team already had quite a setback, and with the way they are negotiating with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., it seems they don’t appreciate their homegrown star a lot.

According to reports, Guerrero received an offer worth $340 million from the Blue Jays. But that’s not the deal Vladdy is looking for. “Get back to me when you have $100 million more on the table and we can start to talk,” responded the Canadian-Dominican star. Vlad is already set to earn more than $28 million on arbitration this year. And while it would have been best to come to terms with the dual-position player, Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins might have lost his chance to focus on other players, just like it happened with Ohtani 2023.

Time for Blue Jays to move on

Even with slashing .323/.396/.544 in his 2024 season, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. couldn’t save the Toronto Blue Jays to end their season with a 74-88 record. So, maybe it can all work out if they could trade their star hitter with a potential lineup of youngsters—remember how the San Diego Padres failed to reach the playoffs with Juan Soto in their team? But then, they traded him to the New York Yankees, received Randy Vasquez, Michael King, and Jhony Brito, and won 90+ games over the season! That was an improvement, right? 

What if the same thing happened with the Blue Jays? The San Francisco Giants are interested in Vladdy in a trade with first baseman and outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr., righty pitcher Ryan Walker, shortstop Marco Luciano, and lefty pitcher Carson Whisenhunt. There is also the Boston Red Sox. The team is ready to trade their shortstop, Yoeilin Cespedes, first baseman Triston Casas, and RHPs Richard Fitts and David Sandlin. 

Now, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is a franchise name that might remain irreplaceable for the Blue Jays. But trading is always a better option than losing him in a free market with no benefit. They have been losing big players for the last two seasons; surely, it’s time to amp up their game to get back on track. So, do you think Vladimir Guerrero Jr. should stick with the Blue Jays? What if his free agency doesn’t go as he’s expecting? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.