Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. fuels social media fire of him going to Yankees
Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. isn’t giving Toronto Blue Jays fans a whole lot to be happy about this week.
After the team and Guerrero Jr. failed to reach a contract extension prior to spring training, it appears the superstar slugger is likely headed to free agency after the 2025 season, as he stated a desire to avoid in-season contract negotiations.
While his chances of sticking around in Toronto long-term aren’t entirely at zero, he suggested earlier this week that the Blue Jays will be competing with “29 other teams” for his services once he hits the open market next winter.
And some recent activity by Guerrero Jr. on social media isn’t exactly helping to calm the nerves of Jays fans that he could be leaving town within the next 12 months.
A post shared this week on the Instagram page letsgoyanks_ featured the Blue Jays slugger in a Yankees uniform, which Guerrero Jr. himself chose to hit the like button on.
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“Is there any chance the Yankees sign Vladdy? While the odds may be slim, signing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would solidify the Yankees’ first base position for the future. Steve Phillips of MLB Network predicts, ‘In the end, they’ll have Vladdy and [current Yankees star Aaron] Judge in the middle of the lineup,'” the post’s caption reads.
Guerrero Jr. had previously said in 2022 that he “would never sign with the [New York] Yankees, not even [when I’m] dead.”
Last season, Guerrero Jr. said he’d “be happy to help any team” when approached with the topic of a trade to the Yankees during a season when the Blue Jays were well out of the playoff race and New York ended up making the World Series.
It’s not the first time in recent months that Guerrero has stirred up speculation about a divisional rival via his Instagram. Back in December, the first baseman liked a photo from a fan account suggesting he’d end up with the Boston Red Sox alongside free Juan Soto and Boston infielder Rafael Devers.
Given that Soto signed the largest contract in baseball history with the New York Mets later that month, it seems unlikely that trio will ever come to fruition.
Perhaps Guerrero Jr.’s just appreciating a nice set of photo editing jobs, or possibly it’s a social media manager showing love to the fans for their creative work. But in any case, Guerrero Jr. and his team aren’t exactly calming the fears of Toronto fans that they could end up losing the face of the franchise.