It’s a great time to be Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
To be fair, that’s true most of the time. After all, the 25-year-old Toronto Blue Jay is already a four-time All-Star with a home run crown in 2021 and a Hall of Fame dad.
But now especially. As the Blue Jays sit in last place in the American League East, Guerrero has one more year of arbitration before free agency. His name has been popular in trade deadline circles as well, meaning he can either be dealt to a contender or continue in Toronto. If it’s the latter, he would be the face of a franchise that will find some other way to rebuild over the next month.
He’s having himself a nice season as well. Through 95 games played in the first half, he’s hitting .288 with an .815 OPS. His 14 home runs put him a little behind his average pace, but he’s still hitting the ball harder than he has since 2021, with an average exit velocity of 94 mph.
Guerrero is in his prime and is surrounded by headlines, from trade rumors to contract negotiations. Here’s where he stands as the Blue Jays prepare for the second half.
The Blue Jays Are ‘Not Close’ to a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Extension
Guerrero is making $19.9 million this year and has one more year of arbitration before he hits the open market at age 27. The Blue Jays would love to avoid that, and while his name floats through the trade deadline rumor mill, now seems like a good time to lock him up.
Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins said back in June that he has discussed extensions with Guerrero and teammate Bo Bichette.
“Of course we have dialogue with them [about extensions] and that’s something that will continue,” he said in an appearance on MLB Network Radio. “We believe in them, we believe in their futures and hope there’s a way they can play here for a long time.”
That doesn’t mean they’ve made much progress. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported on Tuesday, July 16, that Guerrero and the Blue Jays are “not particularly close to getting a deal done.”
That’s not too surprising or especially alarming mid-season. Players and teams often wait until the winter to ramp up those talks, though an extension now could assuage some of the unease Blue Jays fans feel about a possible-but-unlikely Guerrero trade.
The Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Trade Market
As the trade buzz builds and the July 30 deadline creeps closer, Guerrero has made his stance clear regarding a potential deal.
“I’d love to be in Toronto,” Guerrero said at MLB All-Star media day. “My family loves Toronto. My kids love Toronto. But at the end of the day, it’s a business. We all need to understand that. So, whatever happens, happens. But definitely I would like to stay there.”
Feinsand added that the Blue Jays do not plan to trade Guerrero, but that could change if a team makes “an overwhelming offer.”
Guerrero has indicated in the past that he’d be open to a trade to the Yankees, who could be in the market for a first baseman. The Astros would also be a logical landing spot if the Blue Jays trade him.
The Seattle Mariners have also begun popping up as contenders for many of the major batters thought to be available at the deadline.
Ultimately, however, it’s more likely the Blue Jays opt to trade their rentals, as Feinsand reported. That would make players like Danny Jansen, Kevin Kiermaier, Justin Turner, and Yusei Kikuchi as more likely trade options than Guerrero. Regardless, he does not seemworried about the rumors for now.
“I control what I can control,” Guerrero said at media day. “I’m just trying to go out there and give my 100 per cent and whatever happens after that, I can’t control it.”
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Where Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays Currently Stand