Blue Jays news: Vlad Guerrero Jr. pessimism, Teoscar update, bullpen target emerges

As the new year draws close, Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins is racing against time and fighting rival ball clubs for remaining free agent and trade targets. Having missed their top target along with several viable potential targets, the situation in Toronto is looking dire.

With the offseason market getting smaller by the day, the Blue Jays organization doesn’t appear to have changed much. Their once dominant closer, Jordan Romano is gone, replaced by Yimi Garcia who they traded at the deadline. Spencer Horowitz was swapped for Andres Gimenez. They’ve also signed Eric Lauer to a cheap, one-year deal. What could be next for the Blue Jays? Let’s explore what’s going on in Toronto’s front office.

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Blue Jays’ hopes of extending Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are diminishing

The news on the Vladimir Guerrero Jr. front is not so great for Toronto. After chasing Juan Soto past $700 million, the Jays turned around and offered Vladdy a $340 million extension before he enters his walk year, less than half of what was tendered to Soto. Vlad instantly rejected it. Furthermore, it apparently didn’t sit well with him. Guerrero had this to say on Abriendo Sports:  (translated to English by Hector Gomez):

"What they offered me is not even close to what I'm looking for."

Guerrero also signaled he is still very much open to an extension, but on his terms. However, in a hard-ball move, he also set a deadline. Guerrero will cease all extension talks on the first full day of Spring Training which starts on February 22.

After whiffing on their top target (Soto), the Blue Jays have enough money to extend Vladdy, but it seems they lack the resolve. Their latest offer to him might have deepened an already growing divide. Before the start of the 2024 season, Guerrero and the Blue Jays fought an arbitration battle that resulted in the corner infielder winning a $19.9 million dollar outcome, $1.85 over the Jays’ offer. If Atkins is going to lock Guerrero up, Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic estimates he will need to offer him $500-600 million.

In 2024, Guerrero slashed .323/.396/.544/.940 with 30 home runs. He won his second Silver Slugger and came sixth in the AL MVP voting, his second-best showing.

Dodgers are mulling potential Teoscar Hernandez replacements

In a bit of good news for the Blue Jays, it seems their top competitor for Teoscar Hernandez may be relenting in their pursuit. Ken Rosenthal reports the Dodgers have been scouting alternatives to the slugger that helped them win a championship last season. Rosenthal had this to report:

“As negotiations with free-agent outfielder Teoscar Hernández remain at an impasse, the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers are exploring a number of intriguing right-handed hitting alternatives … How serious the Dodgers are about those pursuits — and how realistic some of them might be — remains to be seen. Hernández, 32, is seeking a three-year deal between $66 million and $72 million, according to a person briefed on the negotiations. The contract length does not appear to be a point of contention between the parties. The issue is money.”

For a while, the Dodgers were considered favorites for Hernandez, mainly because he preferred returning to Los Angeles over going elsewhere. This new development gives Ross Atkins a large opening. The ball is now clearly in his court.

Hernandez slashed a respectable .272/.339/.501/.840 with 33 home runs in 2024. This most recent performance earned him his third Silver Slugger.

Blue Jays show interest in star closer Ryan Helsley

With Jordan Romano gone, the Jays will certainly need a reliable closer. As it so happens, they have shown interest in one of the top relievers in baseball. Ryan Helsley is coming off another monster year for the St. Louis Cardinals, recording an MLB best 49 saves to the tune of a 2.04 ERA with 79 strikeouts. He will be a free agent after next season.

If added to the Blue Jays bullpen, Helsley could make a big difference. However, the chances of Helsley being moved before the deadline are not good. John Gambadoro wrote this on X:

There is also more reporting that casts doubts on a Helsley trade before the deadline. Nick Deeds of MLB Trade Rumors wrote this when corresponding Gambo’s remarks with earlier reporting on the Cardinal’s lack of willingness to part with Helsley:

“Given the perennial desire for high-end relief talent at the trade deadline each summer, it stands to reason that if Helsley pitches anything like he did in 2024 (2.04 ERA, 49 saves, 29.7% strikeout rate) in the first half of 2025 the Cardinals would still be able to land quite the haul for his services in the event they aren’t in position to push for a return to the playoffs. Given that reality, it’s perhaps not a shock that the Cardinals have seemingly set an incredibly high bar for even considering moving on from the two-time All-Star.”

Should the Cardinals hold onto him until the deadline, they may receive a much bigger package from a contender than they would otherwise receive before Spring Training. Given that insight, Atkins may want find another reliever to target in the meantime as a plan B.