Vlad Ambassador

 

The Toronto Blue Jays were able to do what the Montreal Expos failed to do 22 years earlier: they gave a Guerrero enough money to stay in Canada. 

Though honestly wouldn't that have been weird? If Jeffrey Loria somehow had enough money to extend Vladimir Guerrero yet was perfectly content with shitcanning the franchise and moving to DC then selling? Wouldn't it have been wild if Vlad Sr. got to play for the Nats? I don't know if I could even imagine that. 

But regardless, Vlad Jr. got his extension, and from the looks of things, he will play the rest of his career as a Blue Jay. Now, when Vlad came up in 2019 he was the first piece of what was to be a promising youth movement with plans to compete. That never...really happened. And I still think it's awkward timing extending him now as the team is still in flux and bobbing about in the middle of the division. But I think the idea is to cement his status as a marquee star as the team transitions from that era to the next.

As it stands, Vlad Jr. might be one of the few players that gave this team anything resembling an identity at the moment. He's hitting .283 with 28 RBIs and 8 homers, and has an OPS of .829, second only to George Springer. Vlad has finally come into his own as a contact bat, in addition to the power numbers he so confidently displayed in prior seasons. He's also really embracing the leadership role, even as Bo Bichette struggles with his veteran status and George Springer flounders past his prime. I think Vlad is on a path to continue to be this guy for the Jays for a while, and these current numbers do affirm the team's faith in him.

But looking around, I really don't see too many seeds of the future. There's a few young players on this team who've done well this year, but, a lot like the Rays, they're all on the older side. Ernie Clement, who's breaking out in a big way, is 29. Nathan Lukes, a great bench bat, is 30. I suppose Addison Barger, a 25-year old corner breakout, is a good piece for the future, but many people thought to help carry the team as recently as last season, like Will Wagner, Jonatan Clase, Davis Schneider and Bowden Francis, just aren't getting it done. I still think Alek Manoah not being the perennial ace this team needed was the piercing blow to the team's future, because so much else was dependent on older veterans. 

The Jays are in second, and above .500, and have used the last half of May to soar above floundering competitors, but I'm not sure if this team is really ready for October baseball this year because they really don't know who they are yet. There's no consistent identity, it's all being flown in different directions. And Vlad is trying to be this unifying figure but the formula hasn't been cemented yet. Maybe things change this year, but even with some good trends I still can't tell what the Jays are this year.

Coming Tomorrow- Ironically an infielder the Jays gave up.