The Toronto Blue Jays finally added a star to their roster, but it might be too little, too late.
The team is facing a critical 2025 season as homegrown superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is set to earn $28.5 million in his final year of arbitration eligibility before becoming a free agent. The Blue Jays might have to offer as much as $500 million to retain Guerrero beyond that, but they’ll also have to convince him he can have some postseason success if he stays.
After missing the playoffs with a losing record in 2024, the Blue Jays will need to make a big statement in 2025 to convince Guerrero they will continue to be a winning franchise. That could be why they signed switch-hitting All-Star Anthony Santander to a five-year, $92.5 million contract.
But even though Santander’s bat certainly helps the Blue Jays’ chances in 2025, Brandon Glick of Call To The Pen predicted it “won’t keep Vladimir Guerrero Jr.”
“Nothing the Blue Jays have done over the last few years, including signing Santander, should have Guerrero remotely convinced that his future lies in Toronto,” Glick wrote. “Now, it’s struggling to sign aging sluggers and is more known for its second-place finishes than its victories on the free agent market. It’s exceedingly hard to imagine what kind of star would want to tie his future to a team with that reputation.”
In addition to signing Santander, the Blue Jays traded for Gold Glove infielder Andrés Giménez this winter. The team is hardly standing pat this winter.
But the Blue Jays have reportedly been in the final sweepstakes to add more coveted stars like Shohei Ohtani, Cody Bellinger, Juan Soto and Roki Sasaki, falling short each time and possibly earning a reputation that could hurt them in Guerrero’s estimation.
If Guerrero does head into next winter without a long-term contract, he will likely be the most popular free agent in baseball. Since entering the majors in 2019, he’s been a four-time All-Star, won two Silver Slugger Awards and won a Gold Glove Award. At just 25 years old, Guerrero could see significant contract offers from juggernauts like the New York Yankees and New York Mets.
Or, if the Blue Jays see that their additions have failed to put them into a contending position by the next trade deadline, they might pull the trigger and see what they can get in return for Guerrero via trade.
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