Vladimir Guerrero Jr. offers his thoughts on Blue Jays moves

The Toronto Blue Jays have made their fair share of moves ahead of this evening’s MLB trade deadline.

Several Jays have been shipped out in recent days, with Yimi Garcia, Nate Pearson, Danny Jansen, Justin Turner, and Yusei Kikuchi all having new homes.

Most of these deals weren’t of big surprise, as the Blue Jays were expected to be sellers given their current 50-57 record. Nonetheless, as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. admitted yesterday to Hazel Mae, it’s never easy to see friends heading out the door.

“To us, it’s hard, but we have to understand,” Guerrero explained. “I hope that they can [keep] doing what they’ve done with us.”

Turner was a teammate in particular with whom Guerrero was very close. The Jays signed the two-time All-Star to a one-year deal this past offseason, and though his time in Toronto was short, Turner seemed to teach Guerrero plenty in their time together.

“I learned everything [from him],” Guerrero said. “He gave me a lot of advice. He always told me, ‘It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.’ One other thing is that he was always positive with me and everybody in the cage. I feel very happy that I got to play with him.”

Vladimir Guerrero Jr, on a day teammates Justin Turner and Yusei Kikuchi were traded to the #Mariners and #Astros, respectively. #Sportsnet #BlueJays pic.twitter.com/cpfYYGmQP1

— Hazel Mae (@thehazelmae) July 30, 2024

The advice about the importance of finishing strong seems to sum up Guerrero’s season perfectly. The 25-year-old struggled in the early going of the 2024 campaign, but has been on a tear as of late, raising his season-long batting average to .311 to go with his 21 home runs and 69 RBIs.

As for Blue Jays trades, management may not be done shaking things up just yet. The deadline is still hours away, and players like Chad Green, Trent Richards, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa are all potential candidates who could be moved to playoff contenders.

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