Mets insider addresses rumors regarding Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

The start of the 2025 MLB regular season is still over a month away, but some New York Mets fans are already dreaming about team owner Steve Cohen showing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. the money assuming the Toronto Blue Jays first baseman reaches free agency this fall, as expected. 

For a piece published Monday, Mets insider Tim Britton of The Athletic shared why excited supporters may want to stop creating lineups that feature both Guerrero and All-Star outfielder Juan Soto. 

"Signing Guerrero would severely limit the Mets’ flexibility for years," Britton explained. "If the Mets were to sign Guerrero next winter for a decade or more, they’d have four players locked up through at least the start of next decade: Brandon Nimmo (2030), Francisco Lindor (2031), Guerrero (2035 or later), and Soto (2039). Three of those four play corner positions defensively, meaning they don’t provide significant value on that side of the ball and it’s harder for them to move down the defensive spectrum as they get older."

Specifically, Nimmo agreed to an eight-year contract reportedly worth $162M back in December 2022. Lindor signed a 10-year contract extension that could be worth up to $341M ahead of the 2021 season. In December, Soto put pen to paper on a 15-year contract that could reportedly exceed $800M in total value. 

While Cohen acknowledged last week that he has "the ability to spend if I have to," he interestingly added at that time that free agency is "always more expensive than you can imagine." Meanwhile, Jeff Passan of ESPN is among those who think Guerrero could receive one of "the largest contract offers in baseball history" before Christmas Day 2025 rolls around. 

Money isn't the only reason that Britton thinks Guerrero "doesn’t look like a fit for the Mets" under team president of baseball operations David Stearns. Britton noted that Stearns "has not historically prioritized first base" as an MLB executive. 

"In his eight seasons as (an executive with the Milwaukee Brewers), Milwaukee used seven different Opening Day first basemen, including Ryan Braun (2018) and Keston Hiura (2021), both of whom converted to the position," ESPN's Paul Hembekides said about Stearns in January 2024.

Britton added that Stearns spent less on first basemen during his Milwaukee tenure than what the Mets will pay slugger Pete Alonso this season per the terms of Alonso's two-year deal that includes an opt-out after the first campaign.

With all of that said, national MLB reporter Mark Feinsand of the league's website recently referred to Guerrero as a "generational talent." Cohen, not Stearns, closed the Soto and Alonso deals, and the perception exists that the owner will ultimately have the final say on whether or not the Mets will actively pursue Guerrero shortly after the 2025 World Series comes to an end.