Vladimir Guerrero Jr. stayed with the Toronto Blue Jays past the 2024 MLB trade deadline despite some inklings that the Jays would start to sell. He may be moved later in the offseason but, at the very least, he got to make some history before his time with Toronto potentially comes to a close.
Guerrero is in the midst of his best season since 2021 and his recent play, in particular, has been outstanding. He has a 1.342 OPS over his last two weeks and just completed a series sweep over the Los Angeles Angels with a three-hit game that included a home run.
According to OptaSTATS, Guerrero is the first player in MLB history to hit 10 home runs and 10 doubles in the 25 games following an All-Star break. The Blue Jays slugger has actually done better, hitting 11 homers and 12 two-baggers since the break. He's absolutely clobbering the ball, trying as hard as he can to salvage Toronto’s season.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. shining for Blue Jays
The Blue Jays, even with that sweep of the Angels, have a record of just 57-64. They’re in last place in the American League East, still trailing even the Tampa Bay Rays, who just sold off a bunch of players at the deadline. This core of players could be more successful in another division but as it currently stands, it’s not enough to be a winning team.
Guerrero is about to be a free agent after next season and the Blue Jays have failed to capitalize on their youthful core, so they could (and should) be making some big changes this offseason. Trading Vladdy isn’t their only course of action, as they could certainly extend his contract and revamp the core around him.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. finished second in the 2021 AL MVP race to Shohei Ohtani and has since been pretty good but not truly great. This season has changed that. If this is the course that the 25-year-old can stick with, he's going to be a major, major force for years to come.
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