Is the Vlad Guerrero Jr. saga a $500-million Blue Jays distraction that could have consequences?
The room is full of players who have either danced the free agent dance already or will eventually. There isn’t a player that doesn’t know what’s at stake, however.
Put it this way: Guerrero’s teammates are well aware of the motivation attached to a superstar charging towards the biggest payday of his career and the potential benefits it can bring.
“You can see it with Vlad, the way he works, the way he looks,” starting pitcher Jose Berrios told us in an interview on Thursday. “Obviously he knows where he’s at right now. He’s getting close to his free agency year. He’s been doing the right things. He’s working really hard and also taking care of his body. You can see it every day.”
The point made by Berrios – and one stressed by manager John Schneider as well – is that a player of Guerrero’s calibre can be a big story without being a daily distraction. We’ll see how that theory holds up when the Jays visit loud volume markets such as New York and Boston, but for now the team is trying to mute the noise.
Guerrero declined requests to speak on Thursday after reports this week revealed that he was seeking a multi-year deal worth $500 million US with no deferrals. The first baseman hasn’t shied away from dropping his opinion on the regular this spring, though, which just adds to the intrigue and fuel to the frenzy.
From a pure getting-ready-to-play-baseball perspective, however, Schneider maintains there are no issues.
“I don’t know what it’s like to be in his shoes, but he’s handled it really well,” Schneider said. “I think the more people talk about it, the more he feels he has to talk about it. I know that some things may seem otherwise, but he’s really focused on just trying to come here and win every day.”
In the micro view of spring training, that’s the most important thing, of course. If the macro means there is a growing chasm between the front office and the Guerrero camp, that’s the business part of the ordeal and a huge story throughout baseball.
It’s impossible to completely separate the two, of course, Blue Jays protestations to the contrary. That doesn’t mean it has to be a clubhouse distraction though.
“We don’t talk about it, honestly,” Berrios said. “And it’s been impressive how (Vlad) has handled it. Everybody goes through it, but we’re just trying to do what we can to get better, have fun and win ball games.”
Berrios has been with the Jays long enough to see the good, the not so good and the borderline great of Guerrero. And what he sees this spring is a player who is becoming a more prominent voice in the clubhouse.
“As the time goes by, he plays more games and more years he feels like he can be more of a leader,” Berrios said. “He feels more comfortable and free to talk. He’s always had that ability but now he’s free to talk and be a leader.”
