Guerrero feeling great as 2026 will be the first year the Blue Jays are "his" team

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has already been a member of the Toronto Blue Jays organization for a decade. He was signed as a 16-year old amateur free agent on July 2, 2015, and he rose through the ranks with they hype machine fully behind him. Blue Jays fans anticipated that one day, Guerrero Jr. would be the face of the franchise.

2026 is officially that time. Guerrero Jr., who's mega contract extension of 14-years, $500 million officially kicks in this year and it's the first time Guerrero doesn't have his running mate, Bo Bichette, by his side. But according to manager John Schneider, this has already been Guerrero's team for a while.

Guerrero feeling great as 2026 will be the first year the Blue Jays are "his" team

Earlier in Spring Training, Schneider spoke to Blue Jays media about Guerrero setting the tone as the leader in camp. Schneider said, "I think Vladdy has always been the guy in his whole time here. When he came up it was him, Bo and Cavan (Biggio), those were the sons of the big leaguers and after each guy departs it's cool to know that Vlad has been the one who is here and the one that we are building around."

"I think Vlad still being here without those guys allows him to have a louder voice and allows him to be a little bit more free because when you get so locked in with somebody day to day for almost ten years, that just becomes the norm. So, I think this is an opportunity for Vlad to have a louder voice and understand that this has been his team and it's going to continue to be his team," said Schneider.

Guerrero must have taken those words to heart as he goes about his preparations in camp by getting the team comfortable, and having fun. One of the other veterans, George Springer, was caught goofing around with Vladdy last week. Springer told Blue Jays media that Vladdy stole his shoes because Vladdy thought Springer took his glove.

But on a more serious note, Vladdy has been working with a player who is expected to be a big contributor to the team in 2026, Kazuma Okamoto. As MLB.com Blue Jays Beat Reporter Keegan Matheson details, Guerrero and Okamoto have been bonding during camp. It's important to get Okamoto acclimated to Blue Jays baseball as Okamoto is playing in his first season in MLB after years of bashing baseballs in Japan's NPB.

Okamoto will likely be the teams every day third baseman, while getting some reps in at first, and there's also some scenario's that could see Guerrero needing to take some innings at third base during the season as well. That's why it's important for these two to get on the same page and build a positive working relationship before they head off to represent their respective countries at the WBC, and it's part of Guerrero's duties as the team's leader to get his teammates ready for Opening Day.