Blue Jays' potential Vladimir Guerrero Jr. replacement is off to a huge spring start

The Toronto Blue Jays are still reeling from the team's failure to come to an agreement with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on a long-term contract extension prior to the start of spring training, a failure that — while both sides insist talks will be ongoing throughout the year — sure feels like it means the first baseman will be heading elsewhere in free agency next winter. On the heels of an offseason that saw one star player after another turn down Toronto's money, failing to pay up for Vladdy (even at an astronomical asking price) felt like a punch in the gut. He's the sort of player that you can't really replace, a generational prospect with deep Canadian ties who the fan base has watched blossom into not only one of the best hitters in the sport but also one of the most beloved athletes in the country.

So we're not here to try and reassure Jays fans that it'll all be okay. Odds are that Guerrero Jr. is set to play his last season in Toronto, and barring something unforeseen, odds are that this season will fall short of the postseason and result in GM Ross Atkins and president Mark Shapiro getting shown the door. But while things seem pretty grim right now, it's not all doom and gloom. The Jays will never be able to fully replace the face of their franchise, but a pretty nice backup plan is off to a torrid start this spring.

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Orelvis Martinez could be huge for Blue Jays no matter what Vladimir Guerrero Jr. decides

It wasn't too long ago that Orelvis Martinez seemed ticketed for big things, a consensus top-100 prospect who put up big power numbers on his way through the Minors. But an 80-game suspension for a positive PED test last summer brought all of that to a halt, cutting short a season in which he was hitting the cover off the ball in Triple-A (17 homers in just 74 games) and short-circuiting a Blue Jays debut at some point in 2024.

But Martinez is still young, just turning 23 last November. And he's still got a ton of power, as he displayed in Toronto's spring training opener over the weekend.

There's never really been a question about whether Martinez can hit. The question has been whether his glove is good enough to carve out an everyday spot in the Blue Jays' lineup; while he came up as a third baseman, he simply doesn't have the tools to stick there long-term. First base would've been an option, except, well, Guerrero Jr. seemed to have that position spoken for moving forward.

Now, though, Martinez suddenly becomes a crucial part of the team's future. If he doesn't break in with Toronto's Opening Day roster, he'll make his MLB debut at some point early this season given the team's need for pop and a hole at the DH spot. But if Guerrero Jr. moves on for good next winter, Martinez has the chance to prove that Toronto no longer has to flirt with big-ticket moves at the cold corner. He's 2-for-4 so far this spring, and if he keeps this up and hits the ground running at the big-league level, the Jays will at least have something to build on moving forward.