So, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. isn't going anywhere. According to MLB insiders, the 26-year-old slugger and the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a lucrative 14-year, $150 million US deal. It's the largest contract in franchise history According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the deal has no deferrals, a signing bonus and a no-trade clause, effectively making Guerrero a Blue Jay until the age of 40.
The Vladdy signing is good news for the team, but you'll have to excuse me if I don't rush to congratulate Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins for finally getting the deal done. They don't deserve any medals for doing what they should have done long ago. Why wasn't Guerrero locked up sooner?
Better late than never, of course, but the deal should have been done a few years ago. Instead, the Jays left Vladdy in limbo while they the chased the impossible dream. They pursued Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto, even though those two were never going to come to Toronto. The Jays should have concentrated on signing on Vladdy because he wanted to remain in the city. Shapiro and Atkins are fortunate that they managed to come to terms with Vladdy at the 11th hour, but they would have been able to pay him less had they signed him earlier.
Perhaps the last minute deal was made out of desperation on the part of Blue Jay management. The Vladdy signing saga was becoming a distraction. There was going to be constant speculation about where Guerrero was headed in free agency. The uncertainly was upsetting the fan base. There was concern about the future of the team. With Vladdy gone, fans feared that there be years of rebuilding.
The signing of Vladdy does not solve all the Blue Jays' problems. They still do not have enough power hitting. Management has paid too much attention to defence and not enough to offence. The Jays won't be able to really contend until they hit more home runs. The long ball isn't everything, but it sure helps.
Now that Vladdy has been signed, where does that leave Bo Bichette? He seems likely to pursue free agency, but will the Vladdy agreement influence the shortstop to stay? Even if Bo wants to remain in Toronto, the Jays may not be able to afford him after paying all that money to his teammate. Bo's future is another question mark for a team that has too many question marks surrounding it. However, at least the team has settled things with Vladdy. That's a start.
- Joanne
