Blue Jays insider floats somewhat concerning question on Vladdy's future in Toronto

Amidst all the talks and reports of the Blue Jays bringing in outside free agents this offseason, the franchise's biggest star having yet to sign a contract extension looms over it all. While there's been plenty of optimism that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will eventually agree to a long-term deal in Toronto, the longer he remains unsigned, the more reason there is to believe it may not be happening at all. This is a fear that was only exacerbated by Blue Jays insider Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet's recent comments.

In an appearance on Sportsnet's JD Bunkis Podcast, Nicholson-Smith said that he believed the conversation around extending Guerrero has gone from "are the Jays going to choose to extend Vladdy?" to "Is Vladdy going to choose the Jays?". This seems to echo the general sentiment surrounding the future of the first baseman.

Prior to this past season, Guerrero was coming off two relatively down years where he posted a 125 OPS+, and his long-term outlook appeared uncertain. Much of that uncertainty went to the wayside this season, as he bounced back in a huge way, putting up a 166 OPS+ and finishing sixth in American League MVP voting. While before the ball seemed to pretty clearly be in the Blue Jays court, that looks to have flipped, with Guerrero holding all the cards.

So what exactly do these comments from BNS mean and how much do they really matter? For starters, they shouldn't be all too surprising. Considering the season Guerrero just had, it makes sense that he has leverage in extension talks with the Jays. Whether he wants to stay in Toronto or not, there's no reason not to use this to his advantage and at just 25 years old and considering all the massive contracts that have been handed out in recent years, he could be in for a massive payday.

On the other hand, that doesn't mean the Blue Jays have absolutely no say. Guerrero still has another year under contract, giving the front office a full season to try and work something out. That also of course means that no other teams can be talking to him and making offers. Guerrero may have the final say, but the Jays are far from powerless.

It's also worth considering that rumours like this are often put out there simply to create leverage. There's no reason to question the validity of Nicholson-Smith's reporting, but context is always important with this type thing. On the surface this comment may seem concerning, but in reality it's just supporting something that should already be painfully obvious, if the Jays want to extend Guerrero, it won't be easy and it certainly won't be cheap.