Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. popped up in MLB trade rumors this summer, with many in baseball eyeing him for a potential blockbuster deal. While the big move didn’t come, the Blue Jays reportedly could make a big move with their All-Star hitter in 2025.
Guerrero Jr, age 25, earned his fourth consecutive All-Star selection this season. While the Blue Jays have fallen short of expectations, with several of their best players underperforming, Guerero Jr has been one of the lone bright spots on the Blue Jays roster.
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- Vladimir Guerrero Jr stats (ESPN): .318/.392/.55, .946 OPS, 27 home runs, 83 RBI, 34 doubles
It’s significantly boosted his trade value at a time when Bo Bichette, who also appeared in MLB rumors this summer, has hurt his standing around the league. While Bichette will likely be on the trade block this season, Toronto has something else planned for Gurrero Jr.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Toronto is exploring the possibility of having Gureero Jr. play third base in 2025. While nothing is official, the team is putting in motion a plan to give him a lot more playing time at third in September to see how he fares.
Guerrero Jr. has been on a tear in the second half of the season. Entering MLB games today, the All-Star slugger is responsible for a .342/.398/.673 with a 1.071. OPS from June 1 to August 24. While Toronto is still struggling, posting a 34-38 record over that span, he’s proven his worth to the franchise.
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- Vladimir Guerrero Jr contract (Spotrac): $19.9 million salary in 2024, arbitration-eligible in 2025
As for the MLB trade rumors regarding a potential offseason deal, that remains unlikely. Guerrero Jr. already expressed interest in a contract extension with the team and the Blue Jays are certainly receptive to keeping him long-term. At the very least, he won’t be shopped this offseason.
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The move to third base will be something to follow in 2025. This season, per FanGraphs, Guerrero Jr has 102 starts and 885.1 innings played at first base with just 69 innings in 8 starts at third base. At the hot corner, Guerrero Jr has a .913 fielding percentage this season and it stands at .934 for his career.