Blue Jays' free agent failings put greater urgency on Vladimir Guerrero Jr. extension

Coming off a monster 2024 season, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is looking to get a massive contract. The Blue Jays should absolutely be looking to lock him up long term, but if they do not get him extended before the end of the year, then any team will have a shot at signing him.

Well, any team with overflowing pockets, at least. Consider the Mets, Yankees, and Red Sox highly motivated.

Toronto is very willing to hand out money, too, as they were in the running for Juan Soto, who landed a contract that can reach over $800 million with incentives. Financially, missing out on Soto may have been a positive, as it proves their willingness to spend, but allows them to retain and spread out the available cash. Unfortunately, they have been unsuccessful at signing any of the big-named free agents on the market. Along with Soto, they missed out on Max Fried, Teoscar Hernández, and Corbin Burnes, marking the most notable flops. You can add Hye-seong Kim, as well; the Dodgers took care of that on Friday, too.

Since they have not been able to convince free agents to sign with Toronto, they puts more of an urgency on the front office to extend Guerrero Jr. If players are not interested in siging with the Blue Jays during free agency, then they must rely on bringing back the players that they already have or else their roster will continue to produce holes. Guerrero Jr. showing faith in Toronto's plan long-term may be the only way to prove to the current wave of free agents (and future waves) that they're serious.

After missing multiple big free agents, the Blue Jays urgently need to find a way to keep Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Avoiding the search for a first baseman in the future should be the No. 1 priority for the Blue Jays. This could be an issue down the road too, which is another reason why they must try to retain their best hitter before he hits free agency.

He most definitely is deserving of a monster contract after his outstanding season in 2024. In his age 25 season, Guerrero Jr. belted 30 home runs, 44 doubles, and a triple to generate a slugging percentage of .544. That paired with an on-base percentage of .396 to create an OPS of .940. He also had a wRC+ of 165, 103 runs batted in, and a career low strikeout percentage of 13.8%.

The Blue Jays can't risk losing that consistent bat in the lineup and must try to lock him up before the season, even if it costs them an exorbitant sum with next to no pre-free agency discount. Signing free agents has been difficult for Toronto, which makes it scarier for the Blue Jays if they cannot extend Guerrero Jr.