How much did lack of winning play into Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s contract impasse with Blue Jays?

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Maybe it had nothing to do with the money at all.

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The speculation around the preliminary divorce proceedings between the Blue Jays and the would-be face of the franchise Vladimir Guerrero Jr. continues to rage unabated. And don’t expect that to stop any time soon.

Not through the Grapefruit League season, which begins Saturday in Dunedin. Not during the regular season, which gets under way at the end of March.

Until details of how far apart the Jays and Guerrero were on an extension and what the actual monetary value was before negotiations broke off, it’s complicated to definitively pick sides on the tussle.

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That said, one comment from Guerrero’s meeting with reporters in Dunedin on Tuesday morning stood out as a high-volume indicator of how the 25-year-old, four-time all-star feels.

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When asked what he’d be looking for from free agent suitors next winter, Guerrero was quick and direct: A winning team.

How deep a shot that was at team president Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins and their ability to build a contender is open to interpretation. It does, however, offer a glimpse into both the perception of the team he plays for and potentially what awaits.

On a broader level, for the first time Guerrero served up a hint of frustration at what is going on with the only MLB franchise he has ever known.

Of course, Guerrero has the power to change some of that trajectory with a huge bet-on-himself season that also could alter some of the narrative around the team. But if the damage is already done by his employers — from service-time manipulation when he made his debut in 2019, to arbitration in 2024 to the current impasse — none of that may matter.

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Meanwhile, as well-intentioned as Guerrero’s self-imposed deadline for an extension appears to be, the wish that it would somehow mitigate the distraction of his status during the season is wishful thinking.

Speculation of where he will land is running rampant, particularly south of the border where some prominent observers already want Guerrero fitted for a Red Sox jersey and others have him destined for the Yankees.

That ongoing narrative won’t be appreciated in the Jays clubhouse, especially when the team hits the road for dates against teams that would be potential Vladdy destinations.

Free agency is still months and at least the 162-game regular season away, leaving the possibility for the impasse to disappear. And winning sometimes fixes everything.

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“That’s what I’ll be looking for in free agency,” Guerrero reiterated to reporters in Dunedin. “My dad played a lot of years. He never won a World Series. My personal goal is to win a World Series and give the ring to my dad.”

PLAY BALL

The longest exhibition season in professional sports gets underway on Saturday at TD Ballpark in Dunedin when the Jays face the Yankees.

The process of rebounding from a 74-88 season begins with the first home date of a 30-game schedule.

Lefty Easton Lucas, who is expected to start the season with the triple-A Buffalo Bisons, gets the ball for the opener while the rest of the early assignments include Yariel Rodriguez facing the Red Sox on Sunday in Ft. Myers, late-season sensation Bowden Francis facing the Tigers on Monday in Lakeland. Max Scherzer, making his Jays debut, followed by Jose Berrios will face the Cardinals on Tuesday back in Dunedin.

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Starting with Saturday’s opener, Sportsnet will televise 23 of the Jays’ 30 Grapefruit League games, including all 16 scheduled for TD Ballpark.

As well, all 30 games are scheduled to air on radio, either on the Sportsnet radio network or on the Sportsnet website. The regular voices return with Dan Shulman calling the play-by-play with analysts Buck Martinez and Joe Siddall.

Shulman’s son Ben, who returns as the radio voice, will handle some TV games, spelling his father on occasion.

AROUND THE BASES

Earlier in camp, Jays manager John Schneider noted that there could be a revolving door at the leadoff spot in his batting order. Earlier this week he got more specific, telling reporters in Dunedin that the mix could include incumbent George Springer as well as Bo Bichette, Andres Gimenez and Will Wagner. Much of it will be performance driven, we’d expect, but the days of Springer hitting first automatically are gone … Pre-season records mean next to nothing, of course, but in 2024 the Jays went 13-17-2 while drawing 101,549 fans to TD Ballpark …The Jays pitching depth took a hit with word that lefty prospect Adam Macko will be out indefinitely after having arthroscopic knee surgery in Thursday to repair a meniscus tear … The Jays are returning to a familiar face — and arm — for some big-league roster depth. Lefty Ryan Yarbrough, who was acquired via a trade deadline deal with the Dodgers last season, agreed to a minor-league deal with an invite to big-league camp. The 33-year-old had a tidy 2.03 ERA over 31.1 innings out of the Jays pen.

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