"Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is in a great position for a massive deal" - Blue Jays analyst makes feelings known about 4x All-Star's future in Toronto

Like Shohei Ohtani in 2023 and Juan Soto in 2024, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. could be the next headline-grabbing signing in 2025 as the Toronto Blue Jays star is expected to hit free agency next winter. Several teams have already started to pile up resources in hopes of landing the star first baseman.

Amid all the pre-free agency buzz, Blue Jays analyst Ben Nicholas-Smith said that the organization is running against time to sign their first baseman.

“This is the decision and negotiation that will impact the next 10 years of this franchise one way or the other,” Nicholson-Smith said on Baseball Bar-B-Cast (3:28 onwards).

Guerrero Jr. revealed in an interview with Abriendo Sports that ongoing extension talks have a firm deadline: the first day of pitchers and catchers’ workouts in February. If no agreement is reached by then, he will test free agency in the fall, entertaining offers from all 30 MLB teams.

Nicholas-Smith also mentioned about the double-edge sword for Vladimir Guerrero's free agency. If the organization doesn't get an extension before he becomes free agent, they will miss out on their potential franchise cornerstone.

“If he goes out there and has a tepid season, it’s not going to be great for him. He might not get quite the deal he’s looking for,” Nicholson-Smith added. “But at the end of the day, this guy’s 25 years old—25. He is in a great position to get a massive deal.”

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Blue Jays multiple attempts to close out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. so far not doing the deal

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been offered multiple times before by the Blue Jays organization. According to Ben Nicholas-Smith, the first baseman in his interview said a previous $150 million offer from the Blue Jays didn’t meet his expectations.

More recently, a $340 million offer was reportedly made this offseason, but it was also declined. Nicholson-Smith pointed out that the figure is likely much higher now, given that the market has shifted significantly following Juan Soto's record-breaking $765 million deal.

"Clearly, talks are ongoing, and clearly, the number is now over $340 million," Nicholas-Smith said. "I think that’s pretty obvious, given that he declined that offer. We’ll see where it will have to land. This is really the interesting discussion. The stakes are super high for the Blue Jays—more so than for Vlad Jr."

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. himself said that Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto's contract numbers has significantly raised his extension numbers too. Given that the Blue Jays often fall short when they have gone to bidding wars, like in the case of Ohtani and Soto, franchises might not want to miss out on keeping Guerrero if they can.