Sport
Guerrero closing date drawing near for Blue Jays
DUNEDIN – Bo Bichette and George Springer sat in a nook of the Blue Jays’ locker room on Monday, catching up on issues as they ready for morning exercises on the group’s participant construction advanced.
The stall between them, most often occupied by way of teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr., remained vacant, save for a couple of uniforms, hoodies, warm-up pants and 3 plastic-wrapped baseball gloves.
Typically a presence within the clubhouse neatly ahead of reporting day for place gamers, Guerrero is as an alternative figuring out at a non-public fitness center in close by Tampa because the hours ticked down on his player-set closing date for contract extension talks.
Guerrero, getting into the general 12 months of his contract with the Blue Jays, was once anticipated to reach at camp later within the day for his bodily. Place gamers have till Tuesday to officially document.
Guerrero has mentioned that if extension talks between his agent and the group don’t lead to a deal by way of then, he’s going to no longer proceed negotiations.
“Him and the group, it’s roughly like their little room they’ve were given to fulfill in,” mentioned Blue Jays right-hander Bowden Francis. “It’s other when he walks within the locker-room. We’re no longer sitting there hounding him about (it). We simply need him to play and feature a laugh.”
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The 25-year-old first baseman would most likely be the most important title to be had if he had been to change into a unfastened agent within the fall.
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Guerrero posted a photograph of his fitness center’s exercise house on his verified Instagram Tales feed on Monday, whole with a clock emoji.
The force is squarely on a Blue Jays’ entrance place of work that should steadiness seeking to lock down the products and services of a homegrown face of the franchise with its spending convenience degree on deal that might simply be the most important in franchise historical past.
Basic supervisor Ross Atkins, who was once on-site at camp Monday morning, has presented few specifics at the talks. He mentioned final week that the discussions will be the entirety of his focal point forward of Tuesday’s reporting date.
Guerrero hit .323 final season with 30 homers and 103 RBIs. He has been a key offensive cog within the Toronto lineup lately.
“We would like him to feel free as a result of I do know on the finish of the day, he’s going to play best possible when he’s satisfied,” Francis mentioned. “We simply hope that it will get executed.
“However we all know both approach he’s going to be smiling when he walks in. We’re in a position to look him.”
Guerrero got here up during the Toronto device and made his big-league debut in 2019. Within the 4 seasons because the pandemic-shortened 2020 marketing campaign, he has averaged 34 homers and 101 RBIs a 12 months.
Either side could be taking a possibility by way of no longer getting a deal signed.
Guerrero’s inventory may just drop if his numbers slip or he suffers a major harm. In fact, any other robust marketing campaign would best pad his pockets much more down the street.
The optics of the Blue Jays dropping their celebrity for not anything could be grim for a franchise with a aggressive window that’s open now however might not be past this season.
Signing the four-time all-star would additionally save you a media circus when the Blue Jays take to the street this 12 months in big-spending markets like New York, Boston and Los Angeles.
Lacking out on an extension would even be any other blow after Toronto settled for being some of the finalists within the pursuit of superstars Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto and Eastern pitching sensation Roki Sasaki during the last two years.
The Blue Jays seem to have the cash to spend and had been lively within the free-agent marketplace this low season as they appear to rebound from a disappointing 74-88 marketing campaign.
They signed slugger Anthony Santander to a five-year deal price US$92.5 million and inked nearer Jeff Hoffman to a three-year, $33-million contract.
A Guerrero extension would blow the ones numbers out of the water. Relying at the time period, he may well be having a look at a deal someplace within the $450-million vary and even past that.
The Blue Jays not too long ago have shyed away from arbitration with Guerrero for 2025 when the 2 facets agreed to a $28.5-million deal for the general 12 months of group keep watch over.
Pre-season play starts Saturday in opposition to the Yankees. The common season kicks off on March 27 in opposition to the Baltimore Orioles at Rogers Centre.
This document by way of The Canadian Press was once first revealed Feb. 17, 2025.
&reproduction 2025 The Canadian Press
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