The Toronto Blue Jays started the season without an extension for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Although team president Mark Shapiro is confident an extension will get done, Guerrero could be the talk of the trade deadline.
The Blue Jays want Guerrero back, and he wants to be in Toronto. However, if he hits free agency, the Blue Jays do not have the best track record of signing stars like Guerrero. He will not be easy to pry away in a trade. ClutchPoints’ Bailey Bassett proposed this trade that would send Guerrero to the Chicago Cubs:
- Blue Jays receive: Matt Shaw (Cubs’ No. 1 prospect, MLB No. 19 prospect), Owen Caissie (Cubs’ No. 3 prospect, MLB No. 53 prospect), Jefferson Rojas (Cubs’ No. 7 prospect, MLB No. 96 prospect) and Jack Neely (Cubs No. 16 prospect)
- Cubs receive: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Landing four prospects, three of whom are on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list, should be a no-brainer for the Blue Jays. However, the Cubs would have to be confident in their ability to re-sign him in free agency. Otherwise, they would be giving up four young players for just half a season of Guerrero.
“The Cubs already traded for Kyle Tucker, so they are clearly looking for hitting help,” wrote Bassett. “Guerrero batted to a .323 average and had 30 home runs in what was his fourth straight All-Star season last year. He’d slot right into the heart of the Chicago lineup if they were able to get a deal done. With how deep the team’s farm system is, they might even be able to get away with only trading prospects while keeping the major league roster intact.”
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Guerrero is looking for at least $500 million in free agency right now. However, he has noted that he could change that number to be even higher if he has an MVP-type season.
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