Anonymous GM believes the market will force Blue Jays to trade Vladdy this offseason

As one of the faces of the franchise, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has sure been doing it all for the Toronto Blue Jays during the past few seasons. Guerrero had been leading the way both at the plate and on the field, as exemplified by his Silver Slugger and Gold Glove-winning credentials, along with being a four-time All-Star in the process.

Just this past year, he set his career highs in batting average (.323), hits (199) and doubles (44), along with posting his fourth consecutive season of 25+ home runs and 90+ RBI of offensive output. In doing so, he has kept the team relevant for much of the last five years.

Despite numerous rumors of Guerrero potentially being traded prior to the deadline this past season amidst the Jays’ disappointing 2024 campaign, he remained adamant that he wanted to stay in Toronto and win with the team.

He put an exclamation mark on his stance by putting together a blazing second half in which he batted a stellar .376 with a 1.127 OPS, along with 50 runs scored, 23 doubles, 16 home runs, 46 RBI, 31 walks and 28 strikeouts in his final 63 games of the season.

Although it seems like a no-brainer that the Jays will ultimately work out a big extension with Vladdy this upcoming year, at least one anonymous general manager does not think so. In a recent article by MLB insider Jim Bowden of The Athletic, he revealed that one National League GM believes that the Jays will change their mind and actually trade Guerrero as a potential fallout of the free agent market and its happenings.

That is because when top first base free agent options Pete Alonso and Christian Walker come off the board, the Jays will receive “franchise-changing trade offers” for Vladdy. With the Jays in much need of a restocking of their farm system, as well as multiple areas to address on their current roster, Guerrero’s enormous value could net them all of those solutions. 

It will be hard for the Jays to part with such a valuable piece of their roster, especially after all the years that they invested in his growth and development to help make him into the superstar that he is today. However, as harsh as it is in the baseball world, it may essentially be the route that the organization must take to make the team better if a long-term extension becomes less likely to happen.

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