Losing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will leave the Toronto Blue Jays without a backup plan

The Toronto Blue Jays enter the winter with an ominous feeling. They are either hoping a Juan Soto deal can get done or they’re setting themselves back. Soto will deserve every penny he gets with whoever he decides to sign with. 

But wherever he signs is where he sees a long term plan. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, two of the top players on the Blue Jays roster, aren’t inked to long term deals and will be out of club control after this upcoming season. 

That’s not an attractive trait for Soto. And seeing as they’re putting all their eggs in the Soto basket, it may be a long shot to land his signature. It’s funny because they probably need Soto to convince Bichette and Guerrero to come back. 

But they also need them two to commit to the future for Soto to even consider passing on the New York Yankees/Mets and whoever else is ready to drive the Brinks truck to his front lawn. Either way, the Blue Jays are in a precarious situation. 

They opted for a quiet trade deadline move, selling rather than acquiring. And by not offloading Bichette and Guerrero, they clearly wanted them to be cornerstone pieces. But keeping them seems harder. 

And because they didn’t acquire any young prospects, it makes their backup plan virtually non-existent if Guerrero doesn’t come back to Toronto. 

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The Toronto Blue Jays could be scrambling if Guerrero tests free agency next season

The idea has been floated around that Guerrero could be playing his last season in Toronto. That’s mainly contingent on how competitive the Blue Jays are next year. But also contingent on who’s on the roster. 

The Blue Jays have quickly fallen down the AL ranks after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2021. It was also the second time since Guerrero’s rookie season with Toronto in 2019. If the Blue Jays don’t get back in the playoffs, it could be what ends his time in Toronto. 

And worse, he could join a division rival. Guerrero has options and Toronto is almost at his mercy at this point. By not sending him away last season at the deadline, they doubled down on building around him. 

It makes sense to do that as well. But if the results don’t start showing up, it could be a mistake that sets the Blue Jays back. They better hope Soto sees the long term plan like they do.