Luckily for the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays, star slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has managed to avoid the dreaded contract curse.
Only months after he inked a 14-year, $500 million contract extension, Guerrero enters this weekend’s series against the Baltimore Orioles nearing the end of another solid season. The five-time All-Star owns a .301 average, 23 home runs, 79 RBIs, 33 doubles, and an .887 OPS through 614 plate appearances.
Guerrero has a career-high 12.4% walk rate, and his 5.0 bWAR trails only Atlanta’s Matt Olson (5.1) among full-time first basemen. Even if his counting stats are down from last year, Guerrero has nonetheless positioned himself in line for his third top-10 AL MVP finish in five years.
Perhaps more importantly, Guerrero has managed to keep the Blue Jays contending for the AL’s top playoff seed after the club nearly made two monumental mistakes over the past year.
The Blue Jays should be forever grateful for Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Imagine a world where both Guerrero and shortstop Bo Bichette were still pending free agents. Bichette remains in line to command a significant contract, whether it’s from the Blue Jays or another team set on contending for the 2026 World Series. As for Guerrero, the contract he signed in April aligns with what we’re sure he would have earned on the open market.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. goes to the opposite field for his 21st career home run against the Yankees 😳 pic.twitter.com/IfKeoFuzed
— MLB (@MLB) September 6, 2025
Toronto could not afford to enter 2026 without Guerrero and Bichette, especially not given the Anthony Santander disaster. We don’t blame you for forgetting Santander’s presence, seeing as he dislocated his left shoulder in late May and has subsequently battled inflammation, keeping him on the IL for most of Toronto’s sensational summer.
We wouldn’t blame the Blue Jays if they’re dreading Santander’s return. The 2024 All-Star, who signed a five-year, $92.5 million contract last offseason, posted -1.0 bWAR and a 26.3% strikeout rate across 209 plate appearances,
Toronto manager John Schneider told reporters on Thursday that the Blue Jays are “running out of time” to know how much Santander can contribute this postseason. Santander reported back tightness earlier this week, though he homered in a Triple-A rehab game on Thursday night.
“It’s tough to start him against a righty and make a move in the fifth inning if he can’t hit right-handed,” Schneider said of Santander. Ideally, he’s good from both. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
As thrilling as the Blue Jays’ 2025 season has been, things could be far worse if they had to worry about Guerrero, Bichette, and Santander’s various situations. Instead, Guerrero is signed long-term, and he’s still one of the AL’s premier hitters. Everything has worked out Toronto’s way thus far, and we’ll see whether they can continue the magic in October.