At 74-88, the Toronto Blue Jays were arguably the most disappointing team in baseball this season. They went to the postseason three times in four seasons from 2020-23 but did not win a single postseason game those years (0-6), and this was supposed to be the season Toronto finally — finally — took that step forward. Instead, they took several steps back.
Wednesday afternoon team president Mark Shapiro confirmed GM Ross Atkins will remain in his role next season — “If I felt there was a better alternative to run our baseball operation, I’d make that change,” Shapiro said (via Sportsnet) — and also fielded questions about his roster and players at the team’s end-of-season press conference.
Shapiro was asked specifically whether first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who had a terrific season, is a generational player. Here’s what the team president said:
“I don’t know, generational player,” Shapiro told reporters, “…he certainly has the opportunity to be a generational player.”
I think Shapiro was being reasonable. Generational talents — Mike Trout, Juan Soto, Victor Wembanyama, Connor McDavid — make it very obvious very quickly they are generational players. Guerrero just completed his sixth big-league season, and if you’re still unsure whether a player is generational after six years, then no, he’s not. He’d have made it abundantly clear by now.
At the same time, Shapiro could have — and should have — done more to praise his best player, who also happens to be one year away from free agency. Team executives can be too rational for their own good these days. You can say “yes, we think Vlad is a generational player,” and throw your support behind your player. Who cares how sports radio savages in Toronto react?
Instead, Shapiro’s comment was something less than a full-throated show of support, and it’s unclear how it will land with Guerrero. At a time when a Blue Jays team that is spinning its wheels on the field has to shift into sell mode to convince Vlad Jr. to sign long-term, the team president stopped short of singing the praises of his best player. I dunno. Just a weird comment to make.
Now 25, Guerrero may not be a generational player, but he is an excellent player. He slashed .323/.396/.544 with 44 doubles and 33 home runs this season, and he did it with one of the lowest strikeout rates in the league. There isn’t a single first baseman in the game I would take over Vlad Jr. the next five years. Certainly not 30-somethings Bryce Harper and Freddie Freeman.
Guerrero has expressed an interest in remaining with the Blue Jays long-term, though there was zero reported progress on an extension at any point in the last several years. It could be that, if the Blue Jays want to keep their best player beyond 2025, they will have to win a free agent bidding war next offseason.
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