3 Up, 3 Down with John Gibbons: Does Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have a long-term future in Toronto?

It’s an exciting time for Toronto Blue Jays fans. The high powered team is filled with offensive superstars and the opportunity to win a World Series is closer than it has been in years.

One source of angst, however, is the contract status of slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. After news broke that Guerrero and the Jays have discussed a long-term contract, but couldn’t find common ground, Guerrero, who is under team control for two more seasons after this one, reiterated that he wants to spend his entire career in Toronto.

“Can’t blame him,” said former Jays manager John Gibbons. “There’s not a better place to play than up here [Toronto]”.

While Guerrero and the Blue Jays haven’t worked out a deal yet, Gibby give three reasons why Toronto should lock up the 24-year-old All-Star to a long-term contract.

Make sure to check out Sports Interaction for full AL odds, NL odds, MLB props and futures.

Click below to hear exactly what Gibbons has to say:

Face of the franchise

First things first, it comes down to the fact Guerrero Jr. is the face of the Blue Jays franchise according to Gibbons.

“He’s a young kid. It’s not like you sign him to a long-term deal he’s gonna run out of time, he’s gonna get old on you. It’s a no-brainer there.”

Like Gibbons said, Guerrero Jr. is young. He won’t turn 25 until next March and he’s just entering his prime. In four full big league seasons, Guerrero is a two-time All-Star (2021, 2022) and was named to the All-MLB First Team in 2021.

Guerrero is coming off his first Gold Glove Award last season and he’s two years removed from winning a Silver Slugger Award, AL Hank Aaron Award and leading the majors in home runs. The 2021 season also saw Guerrero finish second in AL MVP voting behind two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani.

PR disaster

One of the most important reasons to sign Guerrero long-term, according to Gibbons, is it would be a public relations disaster if the team doesn’t lock him up.

“I wouldn’t want to be the person who denies him that contract.”

Gibbons questions what message the Blue Jays would be sending to the fanbase if they don’t sign Guerrero when the money is available not just in Toronto, but around the majors.

For context, let’s look at some of the other superstar sluggers around baseball who have recently inked long-term deals. The most obvious one to look at comes from the AL East rival Yankees, who locked up Aaron Judge in the off-season to a nine-year, $360 million deal. The deal is the largest in baseball history, paying Judge an average annual value of $40 million per year.

Other major deals within the last few years include Bryce Harper’s 13-year, $330 million contract signed with the Phillies in 2019, Corey Seager’s 10-year, $325 million pact with the Rangers in 2022 and Xander Bogaerts 11-year, $280 million deal with the Padres that kicked in this season.

Can’t afford not to

Gibbons doesn’t believe the Jays can afford not to sign Guerrero because he’s the type of player that will keep Toronto on the map.

“I look at it this way. It’s not my money they’re spending, so they can spend all they want.”

Gibby may be a little tongue-in-cheek when talking about how Toronto spends their money, but he has a solid point.

Consider what might be the biggest potential reason to sign Guerrero sooner rather than later: Ohtani.

Ohtani is a legitimate star both as a pitcher and as a hitter and the 28-year-old will be a free agent after this season. With contract talks between the Japanese star and the L.A. Angels stalling, Ohtani could create the biggest free agent bidding war in MLB history in the off-season.

It’s almost certain that Ohtani will sign the largest contract in MLB history in the off-season, with reports estimating the value will be upwards of $500 million.

It’s not that Guerrero necessarily believes he will make the same money as Ohtani, but he will expect to be one of the highest paid players in the majors. Isn’t it smarter for Toronto to sign Guerrero before Ohtani’s half a billion dollar contract is out there for comparison?