The Yankees just made plans to go all-in on Vlad Guerrero Jr. painfully obvious

New York Yankees fans wondering why GM Brian Cashman seems to only be chasing cheap options at first base might want to consider the franchise's long-term plans for the position. The most logical explanation for New York's thrifty decision is that they don't want to commit long-term resources to first base before they know where Vladimir Guerrero Jr's future lies.

The Toronto slugger has not been complimentary of the Yankees in the past, but it's unclear how that might impact his thinking about potentially donning pinstripes. Guerrero is entering the last year of his contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, and it's easy to envision a scenario where he becomes the biggest name available ahead of this year's trade deadline. Toronto wants to tie him up with a long-term extension, but they have been unable to make meaningful progress with their star player and his representatives to date.

Toronto's plan is to show Guerrero Jr. they have what it takes to be legitimate contenders once the regular season begins. That might be enough to convince their offensive talisman to commit his long-term future to the Blue Jays. Of course, they also might not, which would put another megastar just entering his prime on the open market — and give New York a chance to make up for missing out on Juan Soto.

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Vlad Guerrero Jr. is the ultimate first-base solution for the Yankees

The risk is that Toronto might be forced to deal Guerrero if their season gets off to anything other than a stellar start. The Blue Jays would prefer to deal their superstar outside the AL East, but they would be foolish to pass on a big offer from New York if it represents the best potential return.

This plan will be expensive for the Yankees under any circumstance. Suitors will line up for Guerrero the minute he's rumored to be on the market. Brian Cashman and his staff will need to offer up multiple premium prospects to outbid the competition. That, coupled with the need to give Guerrero a lucrative contract extension might give some teams pause.

If the Yankees truly have designs on replacing the void created by Soto's departure then they need to pull out all the stops to land a superstar hitter. Guerrero could be the next generational hitter to hit the trade market. New York's offseason strategy could easily be informed by who they believe might become available next season. Guerrero is the best possible acquisition any team can hope to land ahead of next year's trade deadline.