Jays’ roster full of players with something to prove

The dust has settled from Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s line-drawn-in-the-sand date.

The Blue Jays were unable to sign their best player to a contract extension by the full squad reporting date of Feb. 18, so negotiations have come to an end. Both sides handled the fallout admirably in the immediate aftermath, although Guerrero did say that the two sides didn’t get close to a deal, while Jays’ GM Ross Atkins responded that any perspective on that depended on how you defined “close.”

Either way, the deal is seemingly dead.

In the aftermath, the other Blue Jays players and manager John Schneider all said they understood the business of baseball and that it was now time to focus on the game. I was in Jays camp this week and I have to say the energy was very good.

Anthony Santander, Max Scherzer, and Andres Gimenez all bring a breath of fresh air and maturity to the clubhouse. They also bring grit and accountability, which is something the team needs. Players and coaches acknowledged the different feeling this spring.

Guerrero admitted to me that the team needed a change in the clubhouse. I hadn’t heard of big internal problems last year. He mentioned that the team needs to play for the name on the front of the uniform and not the one on the back. He said the team all needed to be in the boat, rowing in the same direction. 

That is a very mature proclamation for a player who just failed to negotiate an extension and is in the final year of a contract. He is literally playing this season for a mega deal for himself. He didn’t once talk about putting up numbers for himself. Instead, he talked about his desire to win and his teammates. He is in the best shape of his life. Guerrero is now a grown man and a leader.

I don’t think any part of the failed negotiation will hurt the Jays this season. In fact, they felt like a motivated bunch. They felt like a team with a collective chip on their shoulders. It starts with the position players and the offence. 

Think about it:

- Alejandro Kirk had a down year and has something to prove; the Jays kept him over Gaby Moreno and Danny Jansen and there are many who doubt those decisions.

- Gimenez was dealt away from Cleveland and wants to prove they made a mistake. Plus, he wants to recapture his offensive game and show that he is not a glove-only player.

- Bo Bichette is in the walk year of a deal and he wants to prove that he still has game left and can stay healthy. But rather than talk about himself, he talked to me about how he and Guerrero are best friends and have unfinished business together.

- Ernie Clement will man third base despite hearing all winter that the Jays should get Alex Bregman or Nolan Arenado. He wants to prove that he is worthy of the opportunity.

- Santander got an offer from the Jays that he didn’t get from anyone else, so he wants to prove that he is worth the money and that the 44 homers he hit last year was no fluke. 

- Daulton Varsho is working his way back from shoulder surgery.  He is the poster boy for run prevention, which are dirty words around the Rogers Centre right now. He is such a good teammate who cares and gives his best always. He needs to prove that he can hit enough to truly be an everyday player on a championship team.   

- George Springer is the aging veteran. He needs to prove that he has something left in the tank. He needs to call upon his pride to do whatever it takes to deliver for his teammates. He is one of the grittiest players in the game. He needs to dig down and fight and scratch and claw to get on base – take walks, get hit by pitches, stretch singles into doubles, whatever it takes.

A lot of players on this roster have something to prove. Yet in Guerrero’s words, their focus has to be on each other, not on themselves. They need to root for each other’s success and celebrate the group’s accomplishments. That is how you play for the name on the front of the uniform. That is where I would make sure the focus is if I was a player leader or Schneider.

 

Off to a fairly healthy start

So many teams have suffered devastating injuries during spring training. At the time of the writing, the Jays have faced only one major issue: they were hoping for a bounce-back season from Erik Swanson after a tough 2024, but now there are concerns he may need Tommy John surgery. 

A smaller issue has cropped up in the last day or so with veteran starter Max Scherzer, who has a sore right thumb. It may not be a big deal, unless it is being caused by the nerve issue that plagued him last year in Texas. 

Scherzer has looked great so far in camp, with his velocity being clocked in the 95-96 mph range. He has 14 strikeouts and no walks in nine innings of work and only three hits allowed. He has been impressive. 

And as impressive as he has been on the mound, he has been more impressive in the clubhouse. He drops nuggets of knowledge everywhere he goes, which will certainly help guys like Bowden Francis and Alek Manoah. The Jays certainly hope he can stay healthy.

Toronto’s starting rotation should pitch well. The bullpen should be strong, at least from the right side. With the concerns around Swanson, I would love to see them make a play to sign 39 year-old veteran right-hander David Robertson, who is sitting at home still after posting a great season in Texas last year: 68 games, 3.00 ERA, 72 innings, 53 hits, five homers allowed, 27 walks, 99 strikeouts, and 34 holds.

I’m not convinced the Jays have answers from the left side, however, which could be an issue considering they have an entirely right-handed starting rotation. They are going to face left-handed-dominant lineups.

 

Spitting Seeds

- Last week, Guerrero told Enrique Rojas of ESPN that the Jays’ offer was south of $600 million with deferrals. Other reports since then have indicated that the net present value of the Jays’ offer was closer to $450 million.

Guerrero wants a contract with a net present value of $500 million. Vlad Jr is trying to ride the coat tails of Juan Soto and his $765-million deal. But he has a tough justification to get beyond Shohei Ohtani’s $700-million deal with the Dodgers, which has a net present value of about $460 million.

The only justification could be is if the Jays offered Soto a deal with a net present value greater than Ohtani’s $460 million-plus. We haven’t heard from the Jays directly on this. But if they were reluctant to get to the $500-million threshold now, it seems unlikely they will go there in the off-season when other teams likely will, and the price could rise even higher.