The Toronto Blue Jays were involved in the Juan Soto sweepstakes and have had an aggressive approach to the offseason. However, they could look to start their rebuild after they were unable to land Soto.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be a free agent after the season and could walk if the Blue Jays are not competitive enough to win the World Series. Missing out on Soto does not help their case even though they traded for Andrés Giménez. FanSided’s Cody Williams urged the team to trade Guerrero now to help kickstart their rebuild, and that they could deal him to the Boston Red Sox.
“In all honesty, it would be best for the Blue Jays to make such a trade, especially now as opposed to waiting until the deadline. We’ve seen for the past few years that this isn’t a winning team in Toronto as currently constructed,” wrote Williams. “So after whiffing on Soto, it seems high time to start rebuilding. And trading Guerrero would jumpstart that massively.”
Trading Guerrero will be a big blow, but losing him for no return will be worse. The Blue Jays can afford to keep him, but missing out on Soto makes it tougher to convince him to stay. Spotrac projects him to sign a 12-year, $462 million deal in the offseason. But why trade him to a division rival?
“Outside of being division rivals with the Blue Jays, no team matches up better with Toronto than the Boston Red Sox,” wrote Williams. “You know what would quickly start to turn the vibes around at Fenway Park after an early string of high-profile whiffs in free agency? Pulling off a deal for Guerrero to man the opposite corner from Rafael Devers.”
Williams also noted that the Blue Jays could get Wilyer Abreu who won a Gold Glove in 2024, his first full year in the big leagues. Devers and Abreu would be good immediate return in a trade for Guerrero. Devers is a three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger.
Guerrero is one of the best players in the league. He is a four-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger. However, it may be necessary for the Blue Jays to do so to ensure they aren’t put in a tough position when he walks.
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