Tuesday came and went without a long-term extension for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., meaning that the Toronto Blue Jays first baseman now seems destined to hit free agency next winter. And considering his pedigree, age (he won't turn 26 until March) and Major League track record (four All-Star appearances and two top-six finishes in AL MVP voting), he'll be easily the hottest name on the market — not in line for quite the payday that Juan Soto got from the New York Mets, but a payday all the same, one that could climb as high as $500 million when all is said and done.
While all of Canada is in mourning, the rest of the league is asking themselves: Where will Vladdy wind up next? Just about every big spender figures to be in on the bidding here, and the New York Yankees and New York Mets also happen to have long-term question marks at first base. One team in particular, though, seems to have an early leg up: the Boston Red Sox, long rumored to be Guerrero Jr.'s team of choice if he ever hit the market. USA Today's Bob Nightengale reaffirmed as much on Tuesday, claiming that the slugger "has told friends that if he hits free agency, he'd love to play" for Boston.
It’s no secret that Vladimir Guerrero has told friends that if he hits free agency, he’d love to play for the Boston Red Sox. Free agency begins in 8 1/2 months as Guerrero officially enters spring without a contract extension.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) February 18, 2025
Which should be great news for Craig Breslow and Co. On the heels of a revitalizing offseason that featured a trade for Garrett Crochet and free-agent deals for Walker Buehler and Alex Bregman, Boston appears to the cusp of regaining its place among the league's elite. The team also boasts among the very best farm systems in baseball; land Guerrero Jr., and suddenly there might not be a better collection of position-player talent this side of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
There's just one problem: While it all looks great on paper, in practice Boston's dream 2025 is quiclky turning into a disaster — one that could cost the team its shot at a generational talent unless cooler heads prevail.
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Will Red Sox dysfunction spoil a golden opportunity to land Vladimir Guerrero Jr.?
For those of you who've spent the past 24 hours or so under a rock, let's recap. Bregman seemed like a perfect fit for Boston, a great infield defender and much-needed righty bat whose swing was tailor-made for Fenway Park. But apparently someone forgot to clear the move with current face of the franchise Rafael Devers, who didn't take kindly to the team adding someone who's won two Gold Gloves at the position he currently plays — and really didn't take kindly to Boston's plan to play Bregman at third base early and often.
Devers didn't threaten a trade, but he also didn't not threaten a trade, refusing to become a full-time DH to accommodate Bregman's presence on the roster (and one of Boston's top prospects, second baseman Kristian Campbell). Manager Alex Cora poured a canister of gasoline on this already healthy fire by telling Devers that whatever promises the previous regime made when it handed him his megadeal back in 2023 were no longer valid, and that he should play wherever the team asks him to play. First baseman Triston Casas, for his part, had Devers' back, and doesn't understand what the big deal is with all these prospects anyway.
So one All-Star infielder is at odds with another, while the manager shows no signs of calming things down and other plays are taking sides. Does that sound like an environment you'd like to commit to for the next 10 to 15 years?
Maybe this is all much ado about nothing. Talent has a way of sorting itself out in the end, as the saying goes, and there is undoubtedly a ton of it in Boston right now. If the team starts winning, everybody figures to stay happy, and Vladdy would love to be a part of it. But it's also easy to imagine how this all might continue to spiral, and how the team's braintrust might be wary of adding another infielder (who, it should be noted, continues to see himself as a third baseman!) into the mix. It's all lined up for Breslow right now, if he can just land the plane.