What Would a Vladito Contract Look Like?

In a usually bleak 2024 season for the Toronto Blue Jays, one of many few shiny spots in that Kafkaesque wasteland was the return of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as a drive to be reckoned with within the lineup. Guerrero adopted up his MVP-caliber efficiency in 2021 with a solid-but-underwhelming 2022 season and a below-average 2023, and there have been actual questions on his worth as a participant as he neared his anticipated free company after the 2025 marketing campaign. His .323/.396/.544, 165 wRC+, 5.5 WAR line final 12 months was a dramatic demonstration that his 2021 season was much more than a stone-cold fluke. Free company beckons, and the Blue Jays are right down to the final 12 months of his providers earlier than he reaches the open market. Guerrero set the deadline to work out an extension with Toronto for February 17, and that date has come and gone with out an settlement.

My colleague, and notable non-pitcher, Mike Baumann wrote concerning the dangers and rewards of signing Guerrero to a long-term deal from the views of each events, so that you should learn that for additional exposition on the subject. We’re hear to place the worry into numbers, the numbers into {dollars}, and the {dollars} again into worry!

The query of a Guerrero contract is a tough one, as there are components that each strongly urge and forcefully condemn the concept of giving him a monster deal. And except he has a horrible 2025 season, a monster deal is what he’ll get; he already turned down a $340 million provide in December that he characterised as “not even shut” to what he’s in search of. As long as he and his illustration don’t negotiate like Homer Simpson, we will presume that his desired quantity is considerably greater than that!

Usually talking, this isn’t a good time to be a right-right first baseman in free company. When Pete Alonso hit free company, the ZiPS projections recommended solely a three-year, $66 million deal for him, or $77 million unfold out over 4 years in a impartial park. However I used to be truly assured that his pedigree was sufficient that at the very least one crew would give him a contract that may handily beat these numbers. Seems, that was not the case. As Baumann lays out in his piece, Guerrero is “a greater participant by some margin” than Alonso, however as a bat-only first baseman, Guerrero does face an identical danger that his providers shall be price considerably much less on the open market than he expects.

On the flip aspect, Guerrero is greater than 4 years youthful than Alonso is now, and his relative youth needs to be extraordinarily helpful for him when he reaches free company forward of his age-27 season. Solely three of the 110 batters listed on our free agent tracker this offseason are youthful than 27, and 92 of these 110 hitters (83.6%) shall be at the very least 30 for the 2025 marketing campaign.

So let’s begin off the projectionating with a fictional assemble for instance the purpose: What if Guerrero had been 4 years older than his precise age? Right here is the long run ZiPS projection for a free agent Guerrero, if he had been 31 years outdated for the 2026 season. I’m going with a impartial park for these projections.

With nonetheless a full season to go earlier than free company, ZiPS would solely be taken with providing this older model of Guerrero a contract price round $100 million. It additionally primarily can be taken with solely the primary 5 years. Now, let’s evaluate that to the precise projection.

Given his up-and-down profession, ZiPS isn’t comfy sufficient to offer Guerrero what the Blue Jays supplied, however the system nonetheless would provide him a deal price practically thrice as a lot as it might give the hypothetical 31-year-old Vladito. However simply to get a 3rd take a look at a Guerrero projection, let’s challenge 2026 by way of 2034 with the idea that he places up the identical numbers in 2025 that he did final season.

With a repeat of his 2024 season, ZiPS is much more assured in Guerrero’s future, including sufficient to get to the $400 million mark over 9 years, with the remainder of his profession after that time tacking on one other $100 million. Whereas it’s not universally true, skilled athletes are typically fairly assured of their talents, and the extension negotiations to date look rather a lot like Vladito is expressing his perception in himself. The Blue Jays additionally clearly imagine in him greater than ZiPS does – you don’t provide $340 million to gamers you don’t suppose shall be price it – however their provide additionally probablly had one thing to do with their worry of the results if they don’t signal him. So, what do the Jays appear like in a future with out Guerrero and Bo Bichette, who can also be set free of charge company after this season?

To reply this query, I did an absurdly early 2026 ZiPS projected standings run, based mostly on no crew having any of their presently unsigned gamers for 2026.

ZiPS already tasks the 2025 Blue Jays because the weakest time within the AL East, however one which’s solely a recreation or two behind the Rays and Pink Sox, and solely seven video games again within the division. However come 2026, ZiPS imagine Toronto’s hand is much weaker, with getting old and free agent departures projected to severely diminish the crew’s manufacturing, particularly in comparison with its AL East rivals. Certain, if the Blue Jays resolve to not pay Guerrero, they’ll unlock practically $30 million to spend on a alternative, however after their a number of makes an attempt so as to add high-profile free brokers these final two offseasons, they know in addition to anybody that it takes greater than cash to signal superstars. Everybody who needs to spent $150,000 on a Porsche can get a Porsche, but when one other crew needs to signal Juan Soto for three-quarters of a billion bucks, and he chooses that membership as a substitute, he’s gone for good, with no related gamers obtainable. Guerrero represents the identical dilemma, despite the fact that he received’t make near Soto cash; only a few star offensive gamers are hitting free company over the following few years. Listed below are the hitters who’re presently eligible to turn into free brokers after both 2025 or 2026, ranked by projected OPS+ from 2026 to 2028.

Of the highest 100 gamers by projected 2026-2028 OPS+, solely 11 shall be free brokers (Happ is ranked 102nd), and that’s if the Rangers don’t choose up Pederson’s possibility for 2027. Even taking into account Guerrero’s inconsistent profession, there doesn’t look like anybody on the market you’d prefer to pay as a lot as him. That’s why the ZiPS projected contracts for Guerrero are possible significantly beneath what he’ll truly get.

So now the Blue Jays discover themselves at a crossroads. Personally, I feel their failure to signal Guerrero earlier than his deadline needs to be handled because the deadly blow to the group — not only for the following few years, however for this one as properly. A variety of issues would want to go proper for Toronto to show a Guerrero-less roster right into a critical AL East menace if he leaves as a free agent. Contemplating this, the Jays could be higher off buying and selling Guerrero — they might nearly actually get a superb return package deal for him — to retool for one more run two or three years from now, despite the fact that that may all however formally take them out of competition for the 2025 marketing campaign. No matter occurs, as a result of the Blue Jays didn’t lengthen the face of their franchise, that is shaping as much as be their most consequential season because the mid-Nineteen Nineties.