The Toronto Blue Jays have really blown it. They have made a fatal error. Many fans, including myself, are thoroughly disgusted and profoundly disappointed. Vladimir Guerrero is the face of the franchise, a four time all-star. The fans come to watch him play. Yet, the Jays have failed to reach a long term contract with him. It's likely that he will become a free agent in the fall.
There are no excuses. The Jays had the resources to sign him. Remember how much they were willing to pay Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto? They wasted time chasing those two players when it was doubtful they would come to Toronto. They would have been much wiser trying to make sure Vladdy remained a Blue Jay. One can only assume they didn't value him enough.
Other teams are already salivating at the thought of signing Vladdy, and they will open the vault. The vultures are flying overhead. It didn't have to happen this way. This could have been avoided. Vladdy could have been a Blue Jay for years to come. He wanted to stay in Toronto. The Blue Jays, however, chose to wait until the last moment to sign him. Yet, they could have signed him for much less before the Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto deals.
Unless Vladdy is traded, his free agency will hang like a cloud over the Blue Jays for the rest of the season. The team will be distracted. It will be hard for the Jays to attract good players when Vladdy will be a free agent after this season.
The Jays have made some improvements during the off season. However, they still do not have enough hitting, and they are in need of a catcher to back up Alejandro Kirk. Wouldn't it be nice to have Gabriel Moreno sharing the catching duties with Kirk? He should never have been traded.
The truth is that the Blue Jays are not anywhere good enough to compete with the Yankees and the Red Sox. I expect them to finish third or fourth in the American League East. Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins have got to go, and the sooner the better. In any other city, they would have been gone by now. There may empty seats at the dome this season. Blue Jay fans are patient, but there are limits.
- Joanne
