Last season, the Toronto Blue Jays had a big plan – signing Shohei Ohtani. But this strategy was smashed after Ohtani packed his bags for LA. Even though they matched his $700 million deal, the Jays were left empty-handed, and without a backup plan, they ended up in the last position of the AL East. So this time, the team wants to lock things up from the get-go; with $700 million still spared in their pockets, they want to go for the gem of the season—Juan Soto.

The Jays are now competing with other teams like the New York Yankees, Dodgers, and New York Mets, coming out as a dark horse in the race for Juan Soto. However, some don’t think they need to be in this competition, including Steve Phillips, who is surprised by the Blue Jays’ sudden interest. Jeff Passan recently noted that it is not the Yankees or the Mets who are going to be the favorites to sign Soto, but the Blue Jays. And well, they are the first team going to meet Soto in California for a conversation. But Phillips thinks differently.

In a recent conversation, Steve Phillips emphasized that the Blue Jays simply cannot afford what the Yanks and the Mets are offering to Soto, given that they need to re-sign Vladimir Guerrero Jr. back, too. “I can’t imagine that the Blue Jays would be able to match what Hal Steinbrenner of for Yankees would be able to pay or what Steve Cohen of the Mets would be willing to pay,” Phillips claimed. According to him, there’s no need for Blue Jays even to get involved in the race.

Phillips also highlighted that the team’s pursuit of Juan Soto is just time wasted, which they could instead use to sign Guerrero Jr. and potentially, even have a plan B, unlike last time. Moreover, Steve pointed out that Guerrero Jr. might feel ignored, adding, “It will alienate Vladimir Guerrero.” But what if the team doesn’t plan to keep Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the first place itself?

Are the Blue Jays secretly planning to part ways with Guerrero Jr.?

Steve Phillips explained how the Blue Jays cannot afford both players, Juan Soto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr, but what if that’s the plan? The Blue Jays could be going heavily toward Soto because they want to get rid of Guerrero Jr., given he will be valued highly right now. Guerrero is an all-star first baseman, and he notched his fourth All-star appearance. He is essentially the face of the franchise – in 2024, he hit 30 homers, with a .323 average and 103 RBIs.

So, considering Guerrero Jr.’s market value could be $260 million over ten years, the Toronto Blue Jays might want to trade now and get the best value. If not, they could miss the window to reap the benefit –  according to Athletics Jim Bowden, the Blue Jays might do exactly that, and he has heard it from an un-named NL general manager. Well, for a club with a struggling farm system, a franchise-altering trade could be tempting to pass.

Do you think the Jays will let go of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.? Let us know in the comments.