With Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s Toronto Blue Jays future now in serious doubt, it did not take long for the star first baseman to be linked to a rival team.
Guerrero said Tuesday that he would not negotiate any further with the Blue Jays as he enters his final season before free agency, essentially ensuring he will hit the open market at the end of 2025. In the wake of that announcement, multiple reporters suggested there was already an early favorite to sign Guerrero away from Toronto next offseason.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that Guerrero has told friends he would love to play for the Boston Red Sox if he were to hit free agency.
This was echoed by Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Heyman wrote on X that the New York Mets and New York Yankees would likely be involved if Guerrero hit the open market, but he also cited the Red Sox as the early initial favorite.
Guerrero has said he would be happy to play out his career in Toronto, and the Blue Jays are not necessarily out of the running just because they failed to get a contract sorted now. However, Guerrero is poised to enter free agency before his age 27 season and with a track record as one of the game’s top sluggers. If Toronto will not pay him what he wants now, it is hard to believe they would be able to outbid the rest of the league.
The Red Sox just paid big money for another free agent, but they did so on a relatively short-term commitment. At worst, that money would come off the books two years into a hypothetical Guerrero deal, suggesting Boston could hand out another big contract if it wanted to.
Guerrero is coming off a strong 2024 season that saw him hit .323 with 30 home runs and 103 RBIs. If he posts another strong campaign in 2025, it is not unreasonable to think he could easily clear $40 million per year on a free agent deal.
