The Toronto Blue Jays find themselves in a precarious position at the moment. While there has been some optimism surrounding Vladimir Guerrero Jr., their first baseman, the team’s weak farm system has put them in a difficult spot. With several key players injured during a challenging 2024 season, the Blue Jays now face a lack of promising young talent needed to strengthen their roster.
Yes, it seems the Blue Jays are gearing up for a major decision regarding Vladimir Guerrero Jr., especially after his impressive 2024 season with 616 at-bats, a .323 batting average, and 103 RBIs. With Guerrero set to earn $28.5 million in 2025, extending his contract could potentially begin in 2026 without impacting the Blue Jays’ tax bill. However, the team’s concerns aren’t just about Guerrero Jr. The bigger issue is their declining pool of promising young prospects, which could ultimately hinder their ability to build a stronger roster for the future.
The core issue for the Toronto Blue Jays goes beyond simply re-signing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The real challenge lies in their difficult 2024 season, which has been significantly impacted by injuries to key players like Brandon Barriera, Landen Maroudis, and Ricky Tiedemann, who underwent elbow surgery. Additionally, Orelvis Martinez’s suspension for PEDs added to the team’s woes. While they do have promising talents in their lineup, such as Alan Roden, Arjun Nimmala, and Josh Kasevich, these players haven’t yet gained the recognition they need. On top of this, the Blue Jays have fallen behind in farm system rankings, further complicating their future prospects.
The Toronto Blue Jays’ primary concern goes beyond re-signing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The real issue is their tough 2024 season, which was marred by injuries to crucial players like Brandon Barriera, Landen Maroudis, and Ricky Tiedemann, who required elbow surgery. To make matters worse, Orelvis Martinez was sidelined after his PED suspension. While the team has some promising talents, including Alan Roden, Arjun Nimmala, and Josh Kasevich, these players have yet to earn the recognition they need. Additionally, the Blue Jays have fallen behind in farm system rankings, adding further challenges to their long-term prospects.
Although these moves represented a significant effort to rejuvenate the Blue Jays’ farm system, which ranked 24th, they haven’t been enough to turn things around. Arjun Nimmala’s performance has been underwhelming, posting a .167/.280/.306 slash line and a concerning 34% strikeout rate. Josh Kasevich, on the other hand, has performed decently as a utility infielder, reaching a peak velocity of 109 mph last year. Meanwhile, Alan Roden has stood out, hitting an impressive .314/.406/.510 in 71 Triple-A games, showing real potential in the system.
However, the young people’s prospects are not that good, which is a requirement to establish a winning culture and avoid looming threats to their future. However, amid the search for young prospects, Guerrero Jr.’s dilemma continues for the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays’ quest for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. continues
While the Toronto Blue Jays can easily afford Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who remains a free agent, there’s no official confirmation yet. Their luxury-tax payroll currently stands at $273.3 million, and thus, there’s around $27.7 million left before hitting a total competitive balance tax threshold of $301 million. Now the main problem is that going beyond that CBT threshold means paying 80% tax extra. So, in that case, the Blue Jays might lose their spot, which would further affect their farm system, causing an imbalance while looking for the young prospects in MLB. But that doesn’t end here!
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