There was little news while I was off for a Christmas party weekend. The weekend reminded me that I like a beer—occasionally two—but maybe not as much once I get beyond that. And shots? Just say no.
But then, I tend not to get hangovers, so I guess all is ok.
There was news that the Jays made an offer to Vlad Guerrero, which was rejected. I’d imagine no one would expect the first offer to be accepted, but then I don’t know if it was his first offer.
I know they are in a weird spot with Vlad. He is worth more to the team than his stats. He’s easily the face of the team. He sells the tickets.
Jeff Blair wrote about it today. He gives a few possibilities. One is this:
• Everybody needs to relax because good work is being done behind the scenes and this front office doesn’t leak. And its definition of “sense of urgency” differs from everyone else. I mean, when Santa makes a list, he only checks it twice. If the Blue Jays front office ran Christmas, the kids would be waiting until sometime in May for their gifts … and they probably wouldn’t get what they wanted.
The other options he suggests are:
- The front office has misread the market.
- They have doubts about Vlad.
- Or Vlad doesn’t want to be here.
I think they are likely in the early stages of negotiations, and it will likely take longer than we hope. Perhaps Vlad wants to see how the offseason plays out.
I want him signed now, but I won’t panic yet.
Bo Bichette has had hair cut:
Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette checking in at #UFCTampa! pic.twitter.com/yijmEFWr72
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 15, 2024
We can file that under things I don’t care about.
There was a report that the Jays talked to the Guardians about Josh Naylor when discussing the Andres Gimenez trade.
Naylor is a first baseman, so Vlad would either have to move to third, or they would have to share first base and DH.
But we need a power bat more than a glove-first second baseman.
BrooksGate posted a list of their ‘projected top 100 players in 2025’.
There are some Jays:
- Vlad: 22nd.
- Alejandro Kirk: 35th.
- Bo Bichette: 63rd.
- Andres Gimenez: 99th.
I’m surprised neither Kevin Gausman nor Jose Berrios made the list, but I guess both are over 30, and they expect some decline.
The Cubs and Astros made a big trade:
- Kyle Tucker goes to the Cubs.
- Isaac Paredes, Cam Smight and Hayden Wesneski went to the Astros.