Scott Boras' free agent pivot is bad news for Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hopes

The Toronto Blue Jays entered this offseason with a mountain of cash and dreams of quickly vaulting back into contention after a last-place finish in the AL East in 2024. Slowly but surely, though, that dream went out the window, as one big-name free agent after another turned Toronto down in order to sign elsewhere.

At this point in the winter, contending in 2025 can't be the goal; there are simply too many holes to fill, even after the acquisition of All-Star reliever Jeff Hoffman, and not enough talent still available to fill them. Now, the team has pivoted to a new objective: convincing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to sign a long-term extension in lieu of hitting free agency next offseason. Ross Atkins might not be able to fix this team in one winter, but with enough money and one or two steps in the right direction, maybe Vladdy can be sold on a long-term vision.

But there's just one problem with that plan. The best way to convince Guerrero Jr. that you can build a sustainable contender is surrounding him with long-term building blocks, but it sounds like Scott Boras has other ideas.

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How Scott Boras pivot potentially hurts Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. pitch

Boras has already notched a couple of wins this winter, most notably the record deal he secured for Juan Soto. But some big-name clients remain unsigned, including Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman, and with just a month or so left until pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training, their odds of landing a big contract are dwindling by the day. So it seems like Boras has called an audible: According to a new report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, several of the best remaining free agents — including both Boras and non-Boras clients, like Anthony Santander and Jack Flaherty — are now open to the idea of a one- or two-year deal at a higher average annual value, a quick cash in before hitting the market again and hoping to fare better next winter.

Which makes sense from the players' perspective. But it could spell doom for Atkins and the Jays, at least as it relates to extension talks with Guerrero Jr. Toronto has been linked to just about all of the biggest names still on the market, and landing someone like Bregman or Santander or Flaherty (or more than one of the above) would be a great way to signal to Vladdy that he won't look around two or three years into a decade-long contract and find himself on a barren roster.

Now, though, that sales pitch gets tougher. Just about all of Toronto's biggest names are only under contract for the next season or two; the only players locked up beyond 2026 that Guerrero Jr. might consider part of a competitive core are Hoffman, righty Jose Berrios and newly acquired infielder Andres Gimenez. Bo Bichette? Halfway out the door. Chris Bassitt? A free agent next winter. Kevin Gausman, George Springer, Daulton Varsho and Alejandro Kirk? Gone in 2026.

This was supposed to be when Toronto peaked, a big pennant push right before Guerrero Jr. and Bichette came due for big deals. Instead, the team has backslid, and now it's staring into the abyss moving forward. Adding Bregman, Alonso or Santander to the lineup or Flaherty to the rotation for four or five seasons could have eased Vladdy's concerns about the long-term vision. Thanks to Boras, however, it looks like the best Atkins could do is another quick fix, one that will leave the team in the same spot in a year or two.