Virtually every Toronto Blue Jays fan has been preparing themselves for the worst when it comes to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The superstar slugger set a deadline for extension talks with Ross Atkins and Co. for the official start of spring training and, of course, no deal was met. With deep-pocketed franchises like the rival Boston Red Sox and New York Mets already circling like sharks in the water, there was a consensus among many baseball fans: He gone.
But Vladdy might not be gone after all.
While there have been some bubbling rumors from less-than-trusted sources like Mike Rodriguez that Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays are nearing an extension, a report on Saturday may actually lend far more credence to that.
Yancen Pujols, who has been granted unrivaled access to Guerrero via interviews this offseason amid the contract drama, said on Saturday that the Blue Jays star and Toronto could announce a deal soon that is somewhere in the 14-year, $500 million range. Most importantly, he noted that it "looks like" Vladdy is staying with the team he's spent his entire career with to this point.
People close to the situation are telling me this: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays have made a lot of progress towards a 500 million dollars deal. ¿Time frame? 14 years. The announcement could be done soon. Looks like Vladi Jr. is staying in Toronto long term.
— Yancen Pujols (@YancenPujols) April 5, 2025
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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. could actually be close to staying with Blue Jays
Now, I operate under the general premise that it's not gospel until Robert Murray or Jeff Passan have confirmed it, at least for the most part. At the same time, if someone like Pujols has been involved with Guerrero and the player's feelings throughout the process this offseason, that definitely holds some credence, more so than other proverbial MLB outsiders giving similar information.
It's not written in stone yet, but there's a reason for Blue Jays fans to be doubly optimistic about this when it comes to Guerrero Jr. Again, Pujols dropping this informatin holds more weight than you might think in this process and it does, at the very least, indicate that we might be experiencing a sea change when it comes to the vibes around Vladdy and Toronto.
Beyond that, though, this is the first real sign of hope that Blue Jays fans have had in some time when it comes to the team's future. With both Guerrero and Bo Bichette in the final year of club control, there was a world wherein the future for Toronto was quite bleak. For an organization that already had fallen short in so many high-dollar pursuits in free agency, how much worse would that look when they no longer had Guerrero and Bichette to attract incoming talent?
If Guerrero stays with the Jays, that calculus immediately shifts. Even if Bichette is still gone come Opening Day in 2026, a core of Vladdy, Anthony Santander, a veteran pitching staff, Alejandro Kirk and so on is still quite attractive, especially with Guerrero potentially locked in for the rest of his MLB career. It gives Blue Jays fans a reason to believe that things can and will turn around.
It doesn't sound like the ink is on the dotted line just yet but it might be closer than we ever thought it'd be. That, in itself, is a good cause to start believing again in Toronto.