‘In the end, they’ll have Vladdy and Aaron Judge in the middle of the lineup.’
Published Feb 20, 2025 • Last updated 1 hour ago • 2 minute read
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Well, maybe not Blue Jays fans.
After the team failed to come to an agreement with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on a long-term contract extension, the homegrown superstar is set to walk in free agency after this season.
With the star slugger’s self-imposed deadline for a new deal passing on Tuesday, speculation has run rampant on where Vladdy’s next baseball home will be because it’s very doubtful he will be in Toronto beyond 2025 — if he isn’t traded away earlier in the season.
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One MLB insider got out his crystal ball and predicted where the all-star first baseman would end up and it won’t make Jays fans happy at all.
During an appearance on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM, Phillips gave his thoughts on Vladdy’s next potential landing spot.
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“He’s going to be a Yankee, I think he’s going to be a Yankees,” Phillips, a former GM for the New York Mets, said before laying out his rationale.
“I think that (Yankees first baseman Paul) Goldschmidt will be out after the year, (Mets slugger Pete) Alonso won’t opt out and Vladdy’s going to be a Yankee.”
Phillips said that Guerrero would form a formidable tandem with Aaron Judge, who won his second career AL MVP award last season after hitting a league-leading 58 home runs, while also potentially saving the team some cash after losing Juan Soto this off-season.
“They’re going to give him short of Soto money and, in the end, they’ll have Vladdy and Judge in the middle of the lineup instead of Soto and Judge and they’ll end up having spent less money and they’ll end up being a great team moving forward.
“They’ll be the best of the American League for years. So, I think Vladdy’s a Yankee.”
Sure, you can take any insider report with a grain of salt, but here’s where things get a bit interesting.
As noted by a Yankees fan account on social media, Guerrero liked an Instagram post showing himself in a Yankees uniform with Phillips’ report in the caption.
During last season, as speculation over his contract talks with the Blue Jays were heating up, Guerrero walked back an earlier statement that he would never play for the Bronx Bombers, even if he was “dead.”
Speaking with Spanish outlet Virus Deportivo last May, Vladdy changed his tune about potentially donning pinstripes.
“I’m a worker. I’m a professional,” Guerrero said when asked if he’d play for the Yankees. “I go out on the field to play.”
He also walked back his previous comments about the Jays’ AL East rivals.
- Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. now says he would play for Yankees if traded to New York
- How much did Blue Jays management sour on star slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr.?
“I talked with my dad, I talked with my family. Sometimes you say things that, it’s not like that,” Guerrero said. “I didn’t hold back what I said about the Yankees. But what I say is that the organization understands me.
“I’m a player that the (Yankees), that they need me with, or if they do something, it’s because they need me, obviously. I’ll be happy to help any team.”
