Toronto Blue Jays talking contract extension with Guerrero, "desperate" for big move: report
The Toronto Blue Jays are poised to do something big.
Well, maybe.
According to MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, there’s a growing sentiment around the league that the Jays are on the precipice of a major move, though it’s not quite clear if it’ll be an internal or external transaction.
With the team striking out on Juan Soto in free agency, the organization appears dialled in to lock in homegrown superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on a major contract, more likely than not the largest deal in the history of the franchise.
“The Jays are in talks with Guerrero about a long-term extension that would buy him out of his final year of arbitration and free agency,” Rosenthal wrote in an article today for The Athletic. “The perception within the industry remains that the Jays are desperate to do something big. Club president Mark Shapiro is in the final year of his contract. General manager Ross Atkins has just two years left.”
Rosenthal added that the team was taking calls on Bo Bichette’s trade value, though they seemed much more preliminary than concrete.
It’s not hard to argue that the jobs of both Shapiro and Atkins may depend on Guerrero Jr.’s willingness to sign with the team.
“Man, I don’t want to leave. I want to stay here all my life. But this is business,” Guerrero Jr. said midway through last season about staying in Toronto. “My time is going to come. I don’t know if it’s soon or not, but it’s going to come.”
So what exactly would the Blue Jays have to pay Guerrero?
As one of the most dynamic hitters of his era at his peak, Guerrero is expected to have quite a lofty payday.
“[A] $400 million deal would be barely half of Soto’s. A deal in the $500 million to $600 million range, excessive as it might sound to the average fan, probably is more realistic,” Rosenthal posited.
With all due respect to Rosenthal, it’s still very much a guessing game. Baseball contracts are notoriously volatile, and a $100 million range isn’t an exact science.
But either way, the Jays will have to pony up to keep Guerrero Jr. around. If he continues on his Hall of Fame trajectory, it’ll be hard to find a way to complain about that, no matter how big his salary figure might be.