BOSTON -- It¡¯s been 50 days since Vladimir Guerrero Jr. strolled out of the clubhouse in Dunedin, Fla., and turned right, steadied himself in front of the cameras and broke some hearts.
No deal. Vladdy¡¯s deadline of Feb. 18 had come and gone and the Blue Jays weren¡¯t close, he said that morning. It felt like the story that would hang over this season and block out the sun.
Look at him now. This time, he walked out of the visiting clubhouse at Fenway Park before going 3-for-5 in Toronto¡¯s 2-1, 11-inning win on Wednesday, turning left this time and strolling towards the cameras as more trailed behind him. Everything has changed. He owns the largest contract in Blue Jays history now and the third-largest in baseball history at 14 years, $500 million.
It¡¯s finally official. After a few awkward days in Boston spent dancing around official language as physicals were passed and contracts were signed, Guerrero could finally smile for the same cameras that glared back at him on Feb. 18.
¡°If I tell you that it¡¯s not a big relief, I¡¯d be lying to you. It is,¡± Guerrero said through a club interpreter. ¡°It¡¯s always been my goal to be here, and I feel like I accomplished that. I am very, very happy to stay here and be a Blue Jay.¡±
This was the moment everyone involved has been dreaming of for years. Short of winning a World Series, this is the big moment that Guerrero and the Blue Jays have been building towards.
It was finally the opportunity for GM Ross Atkins to stand in front of the cameras and say: "We got him." Atkins has been forced to explain away the near misses of Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, Roki Sasaki and so many others. Well, this time, all that¡¯s left is the celebration.
¡°This is so powerful for the organization. I think it¡¯s monumental for Toronto and for the game,¡± Atkins said. ¡°A historic deal for who will be a historic player.¡±
That old deadline on Feb. 18 was clearly a soft one, and that¡¯s just fine. There¡¯s nothing legally binding about any of this, nothing official nor formal. Guerrero said that he felt like he and the Blue Jays were getting closer to a realistic deal around Opening Day, and over the past week, he really got the sense that this would come together.
While it¡¯s been easy for those involved to say that this wasn¡¯t a distraction, let¡¯s not fool ourselves. The star of this team was teetering on the edge of testing free agency, which threw the entire future of this organization into question. It¡¯s a little distracting. Guerrero did his best to separate what happened on the field from what was happening off of it, but he wanted to be involved.
¡°Through the entire process, I was all in,¡± Guerrero explained. ¡°On the business side, I was all in with every decision, every conversation, every meeting. I was aware of everything, because at the end of the day, I was the one who was going to make the decision, not my agent. I was all in on every conversation, every part of the process.¡±
Now, Guerrero will be involved in every major conversation this organization has for the next decade and a half. Every player who comes to Toronto -- and there¡¯s going to be plenty -- will know they¡¯re coming to join a player who, in any given year, can pop off and chase an MVP Award. Identities are so difficult for a team to form, but the Blue Jays are closer to it now.
Everyone¡¯s eyes can point forward now, including the front office.
¡°He¡¯s meaningful to his teammates and the players who are here,¡± Atkins said. ¡°In talking to Anthony Santander, Max Scherzer and players we were recruiting in free agency -- or even after we acquired Andr¨¦s Gim¨¦nez -- they all wanted to know that part of the future. Will Vladdy and others, like Bo [Bichette], [Daulton] Varsho and [Alejandro] Kirk, be here? I think he¡¯ll continue to be attractive to all the stakeholders and the players we¡¯re recruiting in the future.¡±
Instead of hypothesizing over what the next era of Blue Jays baseball could look like beyond Guerrero, everyone involved can begin to focus on what it will look like built around him. This is when every conversation starts to get exciting. What about Bichette?
¡°It¡¯s also our vision for them to continue to play together,¡± Atkins said.
So much has changed in 50 days, and the next 14 years are full of possibilities again.