I think that this front office is a clown show.
From Gregor Chisolm in today's Star:
DUNEDIN, Fla.—Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is destined to become a free agent in the fall after the Blue Jays failed to reach an agreement on a long-term extension with the 25-year-old prior to his self-imposed deadline of Tuesday morning.
Guerrero had given the Jays until their first full-squad workout of the spring to reach a deal. Negotiations continued in the weeks leading up to the start of camp but the four-time all-star said the two sides never got close during their talks.
That means Guerrero is set to become a free agent alongside shortstop Bo Bichette in the fall. They will be two of the top players available and they could leave town for little more than compensatory draft picks in return. Their departures would set the franchise back years and almost assuredly mark the beginning of yet another rebuild.
Guerrero’s announcement casts a dark cloud over the Jays upcoming season. He will likely be asked about becoming a free agent everywhere he goes and the Jays will risk of losing their best player for almost nothing in return.
The Dominican has yet to hit his prime and he already ranks eighth in franchise history with 160 homers. Guerrero also sits sixth among all-time Jays with a .288 average and his .863 on-base plus slugging percentage trails only Carlos Delgado, Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and John Olerud.
“Definitely,” Guerrero said when asked if intended to stick with his deadline for a new deal. “They knew about that since the end of the last season, about the deadline. And one important thing here, I don’t want my teammates to go through any distractions. I’m here today, I’m ready, and want to win a lot of games, and I want to make it to the playoffs. That’s all that’s in my head right now.”
The Jays’ decision to not give Guerrero what he wanted didn’t have anything to do with a lack of resources. Over the last two off-seasons, the Jays made offers to free agents Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto that were believed to exceed $700 million (U.S.). The club is also operating with one of Major League Baseball’s top five payrolls.
The lack of an agreement wasn’t about affordability. Instead, the Jays by their actions have clearly indicated that they don’t view their own star as being worth anything close to those top free agents.
“Every deal, every situation is different,” Jays general manager Ross Atkins said when asked about the offers to Ohtani and Soto. “We always have had incredible support (from ownership). How you come up with a value and are willing to reach a certain threshold. You have to stay disciplined, too, and you have to stay disciplined to the fact that we are running a business.”
That business might not be running smoothly for much longer. In addition to Guerrero and Bichette, starter Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer are among those eligible for free agency at the end of the season and with the Jays possessing one of the weakest minor league systems in MLB there is a noticeable lack of viable replacements.
From Gregor Chisolm in today's Star:
DUNEDIN, Fla.—Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is destined to become a free agent in the fall after the Blue Jays failed to reach an agreement on a long-term extension with the 25-year-old prior to his self-imposed deadline of Tuesday morning.
Guerrero had given the Jays until their first full-squad workout of the spring to reach a deal. Negotiations continued in the weeks leading up to the start of camp but the four-time all-star said the two sides never got close during their talks.
That means Guerrero is set to become a free agent alongside shortstop Bo Bichette in the fall. They will be two of the top players available and they could leave town for little more than compensatory draft picks in return. Their departures would set the franchise back years and almost assuredly mark the beginning of yet another rebuild.
Guerrero’s announcement casts a dark cloud over the Jays upcoming season. He will likely be asked about becoming a free agent everywhere he goes and the Jays will risk of losing their best player for almost nothing in return.
The Dominican has yet to hit his prime and he already ranks eighth in franchise history with 160 homers. Guerrero also sits sixth among all-time Jays with a .288 average and his .863 on-base plus slugging percentage trails only Carlos Delgado, Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and John Olerud.
“Definitely,” Guerrero said when asked if intended to stick with his deadline for a new deal. “They knew about that since the end of the last season, about the deadline. And one important thing here, I don’t want my teammates to go through any distractions. I’m here today, I’m ready, and want to win a lot of games, and I want to make it to the playoffs. That’s all that’s in my head right now.”
The Jays’ decision to not give Guerrero what he wanted didn’t have anything to do with a lack of resources. Over the last two off-seasons, the Jays made offers to free agents Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto that were believed to exceed $700 million (U.S.). The club is also operating with one of Major League Baseball’s top five payrolls.
The lack of an agreement wasn’t about affordability. Instead, the Jays by their actions have clearly indicated that they don’t view their own star as being worth anything close to those top free agents.
“Every deal, every situation is different,” Jays general manager Ross Atkins said when asked about the offers to Ohtani and Soto. “We always have had incredible support (from ownership). How you come up with a value and are willing to reach a certain threshold. You have to stay disciplined, too, and you have to stay disciplined to the fact that we are running a business.”
That business might not be running smoothly for much longer. In addition to Guerrero and Bichette, starter Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer are among those eligible for free agency at the end of the season and with the Jays possessing one of the weakest minor league systems in MLB there is a noticeable lack of viable replacements.
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