An Astros-Blue Jays trade for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as rumors heat up again

The Toronto Blue Jays have been through a roller coaster of a year in 2024.

Before the year, Toronto wanted to contend. After a few months, they looked quite bad, leading the rumors to begin that they could trade their star first baseman, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Just recently, those rumors were shut down with reports coming out that the Blue Jays would sell their rentals, but not players with an additional year of control, like Guerrero has.

But now, just a few days after the last report came out, MLB insider Jon Heyman suggested the Blue Jays might be interested in traded Guerrero after all.

Guerrero has an additional year of team control in 2025 and the Blue Jays have not been close on inking an extension at this time.

A Blue Jays-Astros trade if Jon Heyman is right about Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

One team that is mentioned by Heyman as a suitor for Guerrero is the Houston Astros, a team that desperately needs production from the hole in their roster that they call first base. Guerrero would be just that, as he's looked just like the superstar slugger that we know him to be this year.

Guerrero is slashing .290/.364/.454 with 13 home runs and 19 doubles en route to be named an All-Star. This kind of production is exactly what Houston needs and exactly why they would pay a huge price to acquire it.

The deal begins with the Astros second and third ranked prospects. Baez and Matthews to headline a deal could acquire the Astros just about any player on the trade market.

Baez, 20, has been tremendous in his professional career. He's slashing .276/.33/.495 for his career while he currently sits in High-A with a respectable .773 OPS. The 20-year-old has slugged 29 extra base hits in the short season.

Matthews, 22, has been equally if not more impressive than Baez. Matthews has slashed .284/.399/.500 across three levels of the minor leagues this year. He was Houston's first-round pick a year ago and they would have a tough time parting ways with him, but to acquire Guerrero, anybody is available.

Fleury and Kouba are more risky prospects than the two others in the deal. Fleury has a great arm and one of the best changeups in the minor leagues, but he's posted a 5.65 ERA this season and has floated between a starter and a reliever. Kouba has also struggled, which is tough to hear for a pitcher like him. He's a command-over-velocity pitcher, which isn't common in today's game. There's a chance he never makes it to the big leagues unless he develops true swing and miss stuff.

But at the end of the day, the Astros have a simple strategy about winning. They look to win right now, win this season, and worry about next year when it gets here. They've traded top prospects in exchange for players who have led them to the World Series in the past, and they could explore the same mentality with Guerrero this year.

In Dana Brown Houston trusts.