Ross Atkins says Blue Jays have worked 'extremely hard' to keep Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in Toronto

Ross Atkins held his first media availability of the spring on Thursday, where he spoke at length about a variety of topics — namely the extension status of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Guerrero has set Feb. 18 (the date of Toronto's first full-team workout) as the deadline for any extension talks.

“We’ve worked extremely hard on keeping Vlad here for a long time," Atkins said per MLB.com's Keegan Matheson. "That desire is strong and we will continue to do that. "

Atkins also spoke about Guerrero's impending deadline.

Sportnet's Shi Davidi added that Atkins said that he would be "very respectful" of Guerrero's desire to cut off talks.

“We will be very respectful of Vlad and his desire to have that," Atkins said. "We understand and respect it, but we will never close that door.”

Guerrero has been with Toronto since he debuted with the team in 2019, and is earning $28.5 million this year in his last year of arbitration, which is the third-highest contract ever given to a player through arbitration.

He slashed .323/.396/.544 last season with 30 home runs and 103 RBI, and has earned four All-Star nods, two Silver Sluggers and a Gold Glove across his six-year career with the Blue Jays.

Atkins wasn't the only Blue Jay to speak on Guerrero's extension, as starting pitcher José Berríos voiced his support for Toronto to keep its slugger.

“He wants to be here," Berríos said, per Matheson. "The way he’s been talking to me, he wants to be here. Toronto Blue Jays fans love him. They want him on the team.”

Outside of Guerrero, Atkins also spoke about a variety of topics, ranging from the team's farm system to how they potentially add to the roster.

When it comes to prospects, Atkins said that he was most excited to watch Alan Roden in camp, who we've already highlighted as someone to watch (and someone to consider in fantasy!) Roden slashed .314/.406/.510 between Double and Triple-A last year, and was named the Blue Jays minor league player of the year last year.

Atkins also doubled down on his previous comments that any additions to the roster would likely come via trade, which is one of the reasons why they seemed to bow out of the running for Alex Bregman. The Blue Jays have a glut of solid middle infield prospects, so it's likely any trade would come from that surplus.