Blue Jays nearing crunch time with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. contract situation 

The Toronto Blue Jays have had a busy offseason that has seen them miss out on a couple of big free agents (Juan Soto, Roki Sasaki) and settle for Anthony Santander and Max Scherzer as consolation prizes. Depending on how much Scherzer still has remaining in the tank, they at least have the potential to be significant moves for a team that hopes to compete in an already difficult American League East. 

But their biggest move of the offseason might be one that has yet to happen.

That would be a potential contract extension for star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. before his self-imposed deadline for when he will stop negotiating. 

Guerrero Jr. is entering the final year of his contract and is eligible to be a free agent following the 2025 season. He has also made it known that he will no longer negotiate after he reports to spring training, which could happen as early as Tuesday. 

Per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), on Thursday, general manager Ross Atkins said they have worked extremely hard on keeping Guerrero and that they have a strong desire to keep him. 

It is also extremely important that the Blue Jays do keep him. 

Guerrero Jr. is not only the Blue Jays' best player and their cornerstone player; he is a star-level player in the prime of his career who could continue to be a star-level player for years ahead. He is also a home-grown player the Blue Jays developed, brought along and turned into a star. 

If he leaves, it's going to be extremely difficult to find a comparable bat to replace him in the middle of their lineup. If he goes into the season unsigned, it also creates a distraction as to whether or not the Blue Jays will keep him all season.

But there is another layer of this that has to be important for the Blue Jays.

They need to win one of these big negotiations. They have consistently been a bridesmaid when it comes to star players and have not been able to actually sign the superstars. They got close with Shohei Ohtani, then lost him to the Los Angeles Dodgers. They were in on Juan Soto before losing him to the New York Mets. They were a finalist for Roki Sasaki before he also went to the Dodgers. They wanted Pete Alonso and, to the surprise of nobody, lost out on him when he returned to the Mets. 

If they not only lose another big negotiation, but also lose a player they brought along and turned into a star and fan favorite, it would be really difficult for ownership and the organization to come back from that in the eyes of fans. They have to keep Guerrero Jr. We will find out in the coming days if they are able to do that.