"It's possible this guy goes Aaron Judge route" - Blue Jays insider predicts Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s plan in light of Juan Soto's $765,000,000 move

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who will become a free agent after the 2025 season, has benefitted a lot after the contracts the likes of Shohei Ohtani ($700 million) and Juan Soto ($765 million) signed up.

According to Blue Jays insider Keegan Matheson, Guerrero could be preparing to take an approach similar to Aaron Judge, who bet on himself, performed at an elite level and landed a $360 million deal with the Yankees in free agency.

"I think Vladdy is smart to be doing that. He knows how this works, and he's going to handle it well," Matheson said on MLB Network. "But I think it's still possible that this guy even goes the Aaron Judge route—where, yeah, he goes to free agency—and that’s part of this."

Matheson suggests that keeping Guerrero might require the Blue Jays to step outside their usual boundaries.

"When I look at Vladdy and the Blue Jays, his number has been a moving target, and it’s clearly moving in one direction," Matheson added.

"The Blue Jays have a front office that has been pretty set in their ways when it comes to evaluating a player and trying to stick to that. So, this would require them to break from their norms if they were to chase that number with Vladdy."

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Blue Jays have until start of spring training to offer Vladimir Guerrero Jr. an undeniable extension

With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. set to become a free agent next offseason and the Toronto Blue Jays taking a beating in securing blue chip free agents in an open market, they may think safe and secure their first baseman via an extension before he tests the market.

That would work in favor of Guerrero Jr., as he could use this desperation from the Blue Jays and get the deal he's after. Moreover, the Blue Jays have aggressively pursued top free agents in the last two seasons, which Guerrero must have noticed. So, he could see that as an opportunity to demand his own blockbuster deal.

"If you’re Vladdy, you’re looking at all these other free-agent pursuits and thinking, ‘Look at all that money. It’s true. You guys are chasing other players—bring some of it this way,’” Matheson added.

The Blue Jays have reportedly until the start of Spring Training to give Vladimir Guerrero Jr. an extension.