Mark Shapiro's bold comments increase optimism about new Blue Jays-Vladimir Guerrero Jr. deal

A week from now, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be introduced in front of Rogers Centre crowd as a part of Opening Day, where he'll likely generate a rousing standing ovation.

Will it be the last time he gets to celebrate Opening Day at Rogers Centre as a member of the Blue Jays?

If the new comments by Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro are to be believed, it might not be.

On Thursday, Shapiro spoke to the Toronto beat, where he spoke in an optimistic tone about Guerrero's future with Toronto after the two parties failed to reach an extension in the offseason.

"I think we're going to sign him," Shapiro said, per MLB.com's Keegan Matheson. "I think we're going to extend him. The reason I feel that way is because we have such a clear alignment on the desired outcome."

Mark Shapiro's new comments raise optimism about Vladimir Guerrero Jr. staying with the Blue Jays

Shapiro's comments come at an important time for the Blue Jays. While Guerrero's self-imposed deadline to sign an extension came and went at the beginning of spring training, the lack of an extension has lingered over Toronto's spring training all month.

After initial leaks made it seem like Guerrero and the Blue Jays were never close on a deal, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported earlier this month that Guerrero was seeking a contract worth $500 million in present day value without any deferrals.

Later that day, ESPN's Buster Olney reported that Guerrero and the Blue Jays were about $50 million apart in talks before things broke down. So it's clear that both sides are close in what they want — it's just a matter of who's going to blink first.

And while Shapiro coming out and saying this isn't a blink, it's defintely an eye twitch.

Matheson followed his initial tweet up with a longer one that featured more insight from Shapiro about Guerrero's value to the Blue Jays.

"There are players who have magnetic personalities, like Vlad, who amplify winning and can really help, but fans don't come to see great players on losing teams," Shapiro said, per Matheson. "Vlad is a part of helping us win and he's a player that has a chance to be a very special player for a generation of Blue Jays fans."

This is the crux of the argument for why the Blue Jays should do everything they can to keep Guerrero. He's one of the best hitters in all of baseball, and should spend the rest of the 2020's hitting at an All-Star level.

While now is the time to strike for the Blue Jays (since they're not competing against the rest of MLB in the same way they would during free agency), Shapiro also seemed optimistic about the Blue Jays' chances to sign Guerrero if he went to free agency.

"It could be before free agency, it could be during free agency," Shapiro said, per Shi Davidi. "But I'm optimistic we will sign him. That's how I feel."

He's also a Canadian citizen, which Shapiro mentioned during his time with the media.

"There aren't many players any more who are signed, developed, born in the country [of Canada] and play their whole career in one place, in one uniform," Shapiro said, per Matheson. "[Guerrero] is a guy with a chance to do that.

Signing Guerrero to a 14-year, $500 million discount would be a discount just based on his on-field production; his off-field impact could make it a steal.

We'll see if this impacts Guerrero's willingness to sign a deal. A clip of his saying that he'd continue to play for the Yankees went viral this week, though Matheson said earlier today that it was recorded nearly two weeks ago, which was before the latest round of leaks.

Guerrero's been linked to nearly every major contender due to his inflated price tag — and it just so happens that most of those team's are Toronto's rivals.

It would be organizational malpractice to let Guerrero walk in free agency. We'll see if Shapiro and the rest of Toronto's front office can now put its money where its mouth is.