The Toronto Blue Jays were criticized for their "dreadful" management of the Vladimir Guerrero Jr. situation

MLB Trade Rumors: The Toronto Blue Jays were criticized for their "dreadful" management of the Vladimir Guerrero Jr. situation

This offseason, the Toronto Blue Jays made wise free agency decisions. This core should benefit from the addition of Max Scherzer and Anthony Santander as well as the trade for Andres Gimenez. However, near misses are what define the offseason. They tried their hand at the Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, and Roki Sasaki rings a year after losing out on Juan Soto. However, they failed to reach any of them. Negotiations broke down prior to the Blue Jays starting spring training, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is eligible for an extension. Buster Olney of ESPN chastised the organization for not signing a franchise player.

The maxim of the Roman philosopher Cicero, "More is lost by indecision than by wrong decision," may best describe how the Toronto Blue Jays handled Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 

The Jays have gradually placed themselves in a precarious situation where the player has all the power, Olney said.

Olney then draws a comparison between this circumstance and how the Angels handled Ohtani. They lost a generational player for nothing since they didn't trade him or sign him to an extension. Despite the failure of the negotiations, Toronto cannot allow that to happen with Guerrero.

Bo Bichette, a shortstop with the Blue Jays, has a contract that is about to expire. Before the trade deadline, both players must have a new deal or a new home.

This season, the Blue Jays will have to make difficult choices.

There might be a case to keep Guerrero and Bichette on their one-year contracts if the Blue Jays are in the playoffs at the time of the trade deadline. Getting postseason home games would help the team pay for the contracts if they re-signed, but it would be hazardous. They both have to leave if Toronto is not in the playoffs by the deadline.

If they moved Guerrero, they would receive a huge haul of prospects. Guerrero has produced six outstanding seasons for the Blue Jays, and a new beginning may be in the works. 

By bringing in new prospects, the pipeline will be able to recover from this rebuild considerably more quickly than if Guerrero goes. Bichette might help turn it around and would also attract some prospects.

However, re-signing Guerrero is the best way to keep the Blue Jays competitive. The cost will be considerable, but it will be well worth it to keep fans attending games and selling out of shirts. The Dodgers may find the agreement more inexpensive if they employ the classic deferred money technique.