Guerrero Jr.’s signing highlights a solid April

After a miserable last-place finish in the American League East in 2024, the trajectory arrow is pointed straight up for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2025.

Let’s start with spring training. The Jays posted an 18-10 record and wound up as the No. 1 team in the Grapefruit League circuit, perhaps a harbinger of things to come. Then, after the first two weeks of the season, they found themselves right in the mix in the AL East, splitting a four-game series with the Baltimore Orioles, a team many had pegged as a potential World Series contender, and then sweeping a three-game set against Washington.

And while those early results were encouraging, the cherry on top came in the first week of April when the Jays announced they had extended their marquee player, first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., with a contract that will undoubtedly make him a Blue Jay for life.

The deal was for 14 years and $500 million, not Ohtani or Soto money, but the offer was enough for Guerrero to jump at, and to end the persistent talk about him leaving the team this year, either via a mid-summer trade or as a free agent at the end of the 2025 season.

Guerrero Jr., who has averaged 31 homers and 100 runs-batted-in during his six-year career, had issued a fairly strong threat to the Jays about his future, as we paraphrase: “Either sign me now with a nice, expensive contract extension by Feb. 18, or I’ll say goodbye. I will not negotiate during the regular season.”

The Blue Jays’ braintrust, however, couldn’t risk losing their franchise player, the face of the team, so rather than heavy negotiations, they simply put forth the $500 million figure and Guerrero, Jr., said yep, sign me up for that. His contract calls for more than US$35 million per year and it should make him and his family happy. Also happy will be the millions of Blue Jays fans across the country, who hope the team’s front office will build another contender around its newly-signed centrepiece.

Team-mate Bo Bichette couldn’t have been happier to see his friend sign the long-term deal. “Super excited for him,” said Bichette to a Sportsnet reporter. “Something that he wanted, something the organization wanted. Seems like it’s going to be a good marriage.”

Newly acquired pitcher Max Scherzer sees the signing as a message to fans about the front office’s plans. “You don’t sign him like that unless you think you’re going to win,” said Scherzer.

Meanwhile, first-month reviews for the Jays have been great. George Springer was leading the league in hitting, and Bichette appears to be bouncing back after a so-so season last year. Free-agent infielder Andres Gimenez was leading the team in homers and Anthony Santander, who signed as a free-agent after a 44-homer season with Baltimore last year, was sure to get hot.

This year’s Jays may not replicate the success of the 1992 and ’93 World Series champs, but they’re definitely moving in the right direction.

OUT OF BOUNDS

• Comedy guy Torben Rolfsen of Vancouver: “Philadelphia 76ers said they used artificial intelligence to help sign over $600 million in player contracts last year. AI stock plummeted 20 per cent on the news.”

• From golf website The First Call Extra: “After a protracted slump, Max Homa fired longtime caddie Joe Greiner a week before the Masters. The player can’t fire himself, can he?”

• A post from Twitter, forwarded by Jack Simpson, on the Great 8’s record-breaking 895th career goal: “Alex Ovechkin did something unbelievable today. He got the entire hockey world to watch an Islanders game.”

• Reecey Pierce, on X, after the Masters’ Tuesday night Champions dinner: “Everyone just wants to know if Cabrera and Scottie swapped prison stories.”

• Torben Rolfsen again: “The Masters’ Sunday, the only day of the year outside of St. Patrick’s that anybody wants to be seen wearing a green sport coat.”

• One more from Rolfsen: “The Dodgers placed Blake Snell on the 15-day injury list with shoulder inflation. Oh no, now they’re down to only eight great pitchers in their rotation.”

• Comedy guy Alex Kaseberg: “Scientists have resurrected dire wolves that became extinct 10,000 years ago. Now they will try to resurrect the NBA’s 17-64 Washington Wizards.”

• Headline at the Beaverton.com: “Rogers CEO says joy of torturing Canadians with garbage hockey broadcast worth way more than 11 billion dollars.”

• From the late ex-Major League Baseball manager Tommy Lasorda: “There are three types of baseball players: Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen and those who wonder what happens.”

• RJ Currie of sportsdeke.com: “I recently drove in St. John’s, Newfoundland, on a highway named after local skip Brad Gushue. It was great: No matter how many mistakes I made, it was someone else’s fault.”

» Care to comment? Email brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca