Clock is ticking on extension talks with Vladdy

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- There should be a big, neon countdown clock installed atop the roof of the Blue Jays’ player development complex, ticking down and glowing red.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s contract status still hangs over every conversation we’ll have about this organization until there’s a resolution. We expect to hear from Guerrero when full-squad workouts begin next Tuesday, but until then, the Blue Jays have the mic with the face of their franchise entering his final year of club control.

“We work extremely hard on keeping Vlad here for a long time,” said general manager Ross Atkins. “That desire is strong, and we will continue to do that.”

That’s been the club’s line for ages now, and don’t expect it to change. Think back to when Atkins and the front office committed themselves to secrecy during the infamous pursuit of Shohei Ohtani at the 2023 Winter Meetings. When this group decides on how they’ll handle something, they tend to stick to it until there’s a resolution.

“I don’t want to get too far into the weeds on the negotiation, because anything I share there decreases the likelihood of us getting something done, which is our goal,” Atkins said. “I can say that we have worked very hard to find a way if there is one.”

Results are all that matter, though, in baseball and in these negotiations. Yes, it’s still possible that Guerrero takes the Aaron Judge route a year from now, going to free agency to feel out his market before eventually signing back with the only organization he’s ever known, but that’s an incredible risk to take if you’re the Blue Jays. A Guerrero extension would make him the centre of this organization’s universe, everything else orbiting around him for the next decade.

“Obviously, it’s going to be a big deal for us, as a player and a teammate, keeping him on this team for many more years,” said José Berríos. “Also, Toronto Blue Jays fans love him. They want him on the team. We’re just still waiting. I know they had conversations. Hopefully, we can end the way we want this, keeping him on the team for many years.”

That’s where the deadline comes in.

The two sides have until the Blue Jays’ first full-squad workout on Feb. 18 to come to an agreement, or Guerrero would prefer to halt extension talks. It’s smart business for Vladdy -- deadlines spur action -- and means there should be a resolution soon, one way or the other.

“We will be very respectful of Vlad and his desire to have that. We understand and respect it,” Atkins said. “But we will never close the door.”

Manager John Schneider knows Guerrero as well as anyone. He managed Guerrero in High-A Dunedin in 2017, and when the next spring rolled around, Schneider was vocal about sending both Guerrero and Bo Bichette with him to Double-A New Hampshire, an aggressive assignment given their ages. He’s been there as Guerrero has grown from a top prospect into his own man.

This isn’t just about baseball any more. It’s something bigger now, something more real.

“He’s gotten better at that and understands that it’s a business,” Schneider said. “He understands that he’s done really, really good things here. He’s got a huge career ahead of him, too, wherever that may be, and we hope it’s here. He’s got a good way about him, and I think he’s just focused on putting himself in position to have a good year, then let the rest of the stuff take care of itself.”

The numbers need to make sense, both for the Blue Jays and for Guerrero. Rarely, if ever, does something matter more than the money in these types of negotiations. Players like Guerrero are hard to find, though. The 25-year-old is not just one of the best hitters on the planet, he’s wrapped his arms around the city of Toronto and its fans, fully embracing what it means to be the face of a franchise. Let that go, and you might spend the next five years looking for it again. What else could the Blue Jays want in a player?

“He has them. The things we’re looking for, he has,” Atkins said. “The teammate, how he complements us moving forward, the process of how he gets to that performance. That performance doesn’t just happen. We know the 'why.' We see it. We’re under the hood, and we’re very pleased.”

The countdown is on, big, red and glowing. Tick tock.