Blue Jays Face Urgency to Trade Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Now

The Toronto Blue Jays signed a 16-year-old Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a $3.9 million deal in 2015. He made his debut with the big-league team four years later, earning four All-Star bids, a Gold Glove, a Silver Slugger award and three playoff appearances since.

But with the team sitting in last place in the American League East just ahead of the trade deadline, there’s reason to believe Guerrero’s tenure in Toronto will be over by August.

“While Vlad Jr. is a player this fanbase and this front office have invested many hopes and dreams in, for years now, it’s highly likely that he won’t be a Blue Jay by November 2025,” as MLB.com put it.

Despite coming up with the franchise, Guerrero hasn’t signed a long-term deal with the team before his arbitration eligibility is up, instead opting for a series of four single-year deals since 2020. The Blue Jays are able to retain him for one more season without such an extension, but they risk leaving a larger return on the table if they wait until next year to trade him.

Of course, retaining Guerrero through the deadline would make sense if the Blue Jays feel he will be key to a playoff run next season. But after an 89-73 record and playoff bid last season, the roster seems to be on the decline rather than the rise.

The Blue Jays have a slew of pending free agents, with Yusei Kikuchi, Justin Turner, Yimi Garcia, Kevin Kiermaier and Danny Jansen all poised to explore free agency after this year. Does the front office want to use that potential cap space flexibility for a boom-or-bust offseason chasing stars like Alex Bregman or Juan Soto, all centered around Guerrero? That seemed to be the plan going into this season, as the team courted impact additions like Shohei Ohtani and Cody Bellinger without success.

As a result, a harder reset seems to be in order and offering Guerrero in exchange for prospect talent would be the best path forward.

With contending teams like the Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros and New York Yankees all in need of a power-hitting first baseman, the Blue Jays have a chance to answer some existential questions about their strategy. Bleacher Report suggested the Blue Jays could land at least three of the Mariners’ top prospects by dealing Guerrero. That price would surely go down if they were to waste most of his remaining club control in a futile reset for next season.

“The Jays gave it a run with this roster,” MLB.com concluded. “It didn’t quite work out. It’s time to focus on the next one. It’s time to trade Vlad Jr.”

Related: Blue Jays Could Opt for $44.7M Deadline Sale While Retaining Biggest Stars

Related: Mariners Trade Proposal Lands Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in Four-Player Swap