OverDrive - Matheson on Guerrero Jr. not close to deal with the Blue Jays, the team's next steps and needs for the lineup

Episode Date: December 24, 2024

MLB.com Blue Jays Reporter Keegan Matheson joined to discuss Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s contract extension, the deal not being close with the Blue Jays and the team's next steps, the AL East's competition in the division, the needs for the lineup and more.

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The smarter way to book travel. Keegan Matheson, MLB.com Blue Jays reporter. How are you, bud? I'm doing well, fellas. How's everything out there? We're doing well, doing well. We're covering it from all angles today. We got Stradio West.

You got Dave and I here in Central. And here you're out on the east coast right now? Dominance, coast to coast right now. Which is why there's serenity and calm in my voice. You know, I've been three whole days away from Toronto. I feel lighter. Yeah, well, we all do. We all do.

Vladdy, interesting though. I'm sure you've seen the reports, obviously. Yesterday speaking on the radio show, saying that the contract discussion's not going very well. What do you make of what's going on in this situation? Not good and not headed in a good direction, I don't think. Obviously, this has changed a ton in the last few weeks post Juan Soto. And sure, Vladdy and Soto are very different players, but they are peers when you look at age in terms of being a star.

And once teams get comfortable speaking in the $500 million, $600 million, $700 million range, you don't put that back. That doesn't go away. And Vlade was behind Juan Soto, the biggest winner from those winter meetings, I believe. The more that this begins to play out publicly, the worse it will be for the Blue Jays. Now, for Vlade,

he is in full control of this, I think. And Vlade is really smart. Players like him who grow up with dads in the game, yeah, it helps them baseball-wise, but it really helps them understand this as a business. And Vlad Sr. was through a couple of these instances himself, not at this high of stakes, but he's been around this. He's around people who know how this works. And he really holds the power here because not only is common sense and logic, quite frankly, on Vladdy's side in all of this,

but just about 100% of public perception is on his side right now. It looks like such an easy thing to do, and the word easy here is tricky, for the Blue Jays to salvage this offseason, to salvage the frustration they've put fans through by re-signing Vladdy and extending him. But they've got to get to a number. And at this point, that appears to be a number that is moving. The Blue Jays' front office, in my experience, and I think people watching this front office for almost 10 years,

is a group that meets and evaluates and sets a number that they believe a player is worth. And I don't know how well that meshes with a moving number. Well, that's the problem here now. Allegedly, reportedly, I should say, in the interview, he also mentioned, Vlad, he did the prospect of a deadline to sign him or else he'll just be going to free agency, and the deadline apparently is the start of spring training. What do you make of that?

I think that's smart from Vladdy's side, and some players are different. Some players like to hear every offer. Some players like to fully trust an agent, for example. But for Vladdy, number one, you get a nice deadline, and this is all we're going to talk about for the next what six seven weeks until i land in dunedin florida and i think february 12th probably 90 of the stories i write most of these radio conversations we have are going to be about

this because it's the biggest story and i don't think anything else is close like take jose bautista and his contract spring 10 years ago and multiply that by 100. This is going to be big. But also from that standpoint, you're putting pressure on the Blue Jays, but I think it makes sense for Vladdy as well because once the season starts, you want to focus on baseball. And if you go 0 for 4, you don't want some idiot like me

asking you how that impacts next year's free agency after every single game. You try to get away from that from being a constant week-to-week conversation, and that's another example, guys, of Vladdy taking control of this. If there's one change I've noticed, guys, and I think it's relevant to this, in Vladdy, the last year, two years, I think he has really grown up. I'm around him all the time. I've been around him since he was a teenager. He was not immature before by any means, but you can always grow up a bit,

and he has really jumped in that regard. He knows himself, he knows his worth, and he is smart when it comes to this. So as he slowly begins to take control of this narrative, I don't think it's going to be by accident. And if he does end up reporting and there's no deal that is made, I mean, would the Jays be comfortable playing out the year? Or do you think there's going to be some serious discussions about whether or not, you know, the team moves on from Vladi and tries to recoup as many assets as they possibly could? Reminds me almost of the Bobachet conversation, too,

with guys coming up on the final year to a much lesser extent, Chris Bassett as well. If you move one of them, what's the point of this season? You know, they have painted themselves into the corner of a corner of a corner of a room at this point. And this year needs to mean something even if you were to move laddie yeah you would get a tremendous piece back even for one year but who would that piece who would that 22 year old hot shot prospect be playing with in two years that's the conversation we keep having about free agencies what does this team look like in a year? Because the Blue Jays, if they choose,

and if they do not extend Vladimir Guerrero Jr., they can take an off-ramp a year from now that looks really ugly, and they can spend year after year after year searching for a guy who is Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He is who you look for and lose sleep over, and he's right there. He's in their clubhouse saying, I want to stay here. It's a dangerous thing to flirt with losing that. And if you were to move Vladdy, you're trying to trade him for a guy who you hope is almost Vladdy.

It doesn't line up for me. So, Keegan, let's just pretend that he does go to free agency. Would the bids, the process of finding the team, would it be similar to what we saw from Juan Soto this offseason? I think you'd see a similar structure. I don't think you're going to see anything go that high, of course, but I think now, and even to frame those guys, going into the offseason, I won't pretend

to be smart. I did not see 765. My God. I would have thought 550 to 600. If it starts with a six, what a win. But that was a dream for Soto and Scott Boris because you had a couple of eager teams like the Jays and Red Sox, and then you had New York versus New York, all that ego at play. That is, for an agent, Christmas morning. You'll love it. But Vladdy will have a similar number of suitors and teams that have missed out. Look at the Yankees, look at the Red Sox. Wouldn't they both love to poach him? We'll be involved in that. Now, I'll also caution too that this could play out like Aaron Judge when he went to free agency, took a look around, got some interests like the Giants, but then went home to New York.

That can still happen. But it's an awfully attractive thing, guys. And I always say this is why I always err on the side of a guy probably not being extended, because it's pretty fun in his place to have 10, 12, 14 big wealthy teams bidding on you. And as we've seen in those high-end bidding wars lately, the Blue Jays certainly get involved, but it takes that almost emotional or last-second surge at the end to say, screw it, we want this guy, we're going to get him. The Dodgers did it, Steve Cohen and the Mets did it with Juan Soto. Is that the Blue Jays' way of business?

It hasn't been. With Keegan Matheson, Jays reporter for MLB.com. Well, Keegan, we're through the winter meetings, and I guess Jimenez is a nice piece that they brought in, but I think in order to be a competitive team next year, they're going to have to make another move at some point. So what are some other external options still available for the Blue Jays this year? Yeah, they've got a lot to do, guys. They have added a second baseman and gotten better defensively, which were about number 19 and 20 on the to-do list.

This is not what I expected the offseason to start like. But at the same time, I think it's important for even myself to remember that if this fits into a bigger picture, then you could like it by the end of all this. They just need to add offense around him. You need to add offense around Andres Jimenez. Now, if he's the second baseman this year, very likely is the shortstop of the future 26 and beyond

if or when Bobachet signs elsewhere. There's some sense to that. He's a brilliant defender. He is the infield Dalton Varshow, who you'll probably want to hit a bit more, but will probably win a gold glove. Looking at the market to add offense, you still have options like Anthony Santander, who I think fits the Blue Jays

a bit better than Teoscar Hernandez. Even though everyone loves Teo, the nostalgia is very much there. The first base market, guys, even though you have Vladdy there, the first base DH market could come to the Blue Jays. Players likeete alonzo still out there available you look at the pitching market they do need to add pitching they do need to add to the bullpen but i think number one guys most important they've got to add offense this team cannot be trying to win games two to one and we've seen how

that looks and we've seen it not work in recent years. You need power, you need offense, you need a guy who can cover up a few mistakes with one swing of the bat and make you win 5-3, even if you didn't play a great game. They have not had enough of that lately. But Keegan, when you look at the AL East today, and we're a long way from these lineups being finalized, but what do you make of it? The Blue Jays obviously finished last season.

The Yankees, you can make the case, as much as they lost Soto, they improved other aspects, got a great starter, got a great reliever, have improved other aspects of their club. You see the Red Sox signing Walker Buehler. What do you make of the competition here? Are these teams getting better? Are they getting worse? How do you see it?

A lot better, I think. That Walker Buehler deal for the Red Sox, I liked a lot. Something like that would have made a ton of sense for Toronto, I think. Now, the Yankees, with all of their additions, they're still trying to get up to last year's watermark of losing Juan Soto. So I think they've still got a bit to do, but they're still a very good team. The Rays are always going to find a way to be annoying and at least make some noise. The Orioles are young and starting to spend a bit.

That's scary. But guys, what I think really changes the entire composition of this division is Boston right now. They seem motivated in ways that they have not been in the last five, six years. They have Rafael Devers. They have an incredible farm system at the top. That's what's important.

They can have some guys graduating who can be their version of a Vladdy or Bo and really help that team. It's a big weakness for the Blue Jays. But if the Red Sox are motivated and they are tapping into that Red Sox pride again and still trying to be at the top of this division, that's scary. That's scary if you're Toronto in a division with four teams that can beat you and you do not have the little brother

of the, you know, let's say the 2017 and 18 Baltimore Orioles, who you can beat 90% of the time and get some free wins along the way. You don't have that. And it drifts the Blue Jays away from any conversation in the division, which is where they need to be. We've seen how the wildcard has worked out in 2020, 22, and 23. 0-2 sweeps. This team needs to be aiming higher than the wildcard. They need to be competing for a division, trying to get into that division round at

the very least. Right now, there's a lot of movement in the AL card. They need to be competing for a division, trying to get into that division round at the very least. Right now, there's a lot of movement in the AL East. A lot of it are moves that I like, but a lot of those have been with the other four clubs. They're all moving. Keegan, appreciate the insight as always, buddy.

We'll chat again real soon, and Merry Christmas, pal. You got it, fellas. Happy holidays. There he goes. Keegan Matheson, Blue Jays reporter of MLB.com.