In the past three seasons, the six-month marathon began with the usual fanfare of a new season but also with talk about the future of the biggest upcoming free agent.
Last season the most prominent upcoming free agent was Juan Soto with the New York Yankees. Two seasons ago it was Shohei Ohtani with the Los Angeles Angels. In 2022 it was Aaron Judge with the Yankees.
This season, the leader in the clubhouse for the most talked about future free agent will be Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and his final year under team control with the Toronto Blue Jays, who tried in varying degrees the past two winters to flank Guerrero with Ohtani and Soto, making offers of some kind to the superstars.
The topic officially became a reality Tuesday. On the date of the first full-squad workout, the sides did not reach a contract agreement by Guerrero’s imposed deadline, meaning the speculation about his future will dominate some of the conversation in a way similar to discussion about pending free agents in the NBA such as the speculation about Kevin Durant’s next team in the 2015-16 season and again in the 2018-19 season.
“They expressed what they had,” Guerrero told reporters. “I expressed what I had. I’m here, and we didn’t get an agreement. Now, they’re going to have to compete with 29 more teams,”
On Tuesday various figures in management provided little insight into what happened and did not take the approach Brian Cashman did on April 8, 2022 when he offered specifics into what the team offered Judge.
General manager Ross Atkins told reporters the Blue Jays “worked very hard” while club president Mark Shapiro merely stated: “when it comes to getting a deal done, it’s either done or not done.”
Guerrero is entering his age-27 season and the New York teams are entering seasons where they might position themselves to pursue him after what they hope are wildly successful seasons.
The Yankees signed Paul Goldschmidt on a one-year deal, inking the veteran like the way teams sign “bridge quarterbacks” before handing the reins to a drafted quarterback waiting in the wings.
The Mets brought back Pete Alonso but not on the long-term deal they reportedly offered him in 2023. Instead, they brought Alonso back on a two-year deal that contains an opt-out clause following this season, which will be used to renegotiate with the Mets or to test free agency again, especially if his performance is better in other areas besides hitting home runs as the past two seasons.
The agreement to bring back Alonso occurred after the Mets reportedly made phone calls, text messages or emails to the Blue Jays to inquire about Guerrero.
Still on the third day of school (spring training), the Mets seemed to tiptoe delicately around the issue while keeping in mind the present tense.
New York Mets owner Steve Cohen talks to the media during a spring training baseball practice … [+]
“He’s a great ballplayer,” billionaire owner Steve Cohen told reporters. “Once again, I’ll worry about that next year. Obviously with payroll considerations — you really can’t have; you can’t have too many long-term contracts because then you lose your roster flexibility. So, you gotta be really careful. But I’ll let my baseball people make that decision.”
As for the Yankees, there is history with the family and not necessarily the good kind.
After the 2003 season, the Yankees were closing in on signing Vladimir Guerrero Sr. when he was among the more coveted names in free agency. Instead at the last minute, they signed Gary Sheffield and had him for three seasons while Guerrero eventually signed with the Los Angeles Angels, who were a year removed from their only World Series title.
Before facing the Yankees in the Bronx back on April 21, 2023, Guerrero said this about possibly signing with the Yankees:
“It’s a personal thing. It goes back with my family. That’s my decision and I will never change that.”
Those comments were a rehash of what he said on a Spanish radio show in Nov. 2022 when he stated: “I like to play in New York, I like to kill the Yankees. I would never sign with the Yankees, not even dead.”
This was after the Blue Jays made their second playoff appearance of a career that began in 2019. The Blue Jays made a third playoff appearance in 2023 but followed up a successful season with 89 losses and falling from contention before the All-Star break.
There is a long way to go, and the Blue Jays are contenders to be improved from last year’s step back. And Guerrero may certainly wind back in Toronto on a lengthy deal like Judge did when Hal Steinbrenner intervened and helped close a nine-year, $360 million deal following the 2022 season, especially if the Blue Jays win and continue to commit to building a winning product.
“That’s what I’ll be looking for in free agency,” Guerrero said. “As you guys know, 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. That’s all I’m looking for.”
That re-signing occurred after rampant speculation about Judge becoming the next San Francisco Giant outfielder following an AL-record 62 homers. Other position players to return after entering less hyped versions of free agency include Carlos Correa (Minnesota Twins) and J.T. Realmuto (Philadelphia Phillies) and there are the position players such as Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, who changed teams after similar speculation.
“On a personal level, there’s disappointment, because I recognize it’s special when you have a player who was signed, developed, came to the big leagues and played his whole career with one team,” Shapiro told reporters. “I think about players like Derek Jeter, Cal Ripken Jr., Kirby Puckett and what it can mean to be a legacy player, a franchise player. That was — and is — our hope for Vladdy.”
It remains unknown if Guerrero will return. Until a new deal becomes official sometime next winter, his name will be discussed as someone to join future rosters of teams competing get something out their encompassing trips by securing a World Series title in October.
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