Former MLB GM predicts Vladimir Guerrero Jr. lands with Yankees

Former MLB GM predicts Vladimir Guerrero Jr. lands with Yankees

Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. did not sign an extension ahead of his self-sanctioned deadline this week. He is expected to play out the season before entering free agency in 2026, where he is expected to be one of the best hitters in the market–along with Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker.

While there’s been plenty of speculation that he would want to play in Boston with Rafael Devers or in Queens, N.Y., with Juan Soto, former MLB general manager Steve Phillips that he will be a New York Yankee.

“I think he’s going to be a Yankee,” Phillips said earlier this week on MLB Network Radio. “I think that (Paul) Goldschmidt will be out after the year. (Pete) Alonso won’t opt out and Vladdy’s going to be a Yankee. They’re going to give him short of (Juan) Soto money. In the end, they’ll have Vladdy and (Aaron) Judge in the middle of the lineup, instead of Soto and Judge. They’ll end up having spent less money and they’ll end up being a great team moving forward. They’ll be the best in the American League for years. I think Vladdy is a Yankee moving forward.”

"In the end, they'll have Vladdy and Judge in the middle of the lineup."@StevePhillipsGM looks into his crystal ball to predict Vladimir Guerrero's future. 🔮👀@Yankees | #RepBX
🔗 https://t.co/iXax8hx4iO pic.twitter.com/pas1LSYlmT

— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) February 19, 2025

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Guerrero has made his disdain for the Yankees public in the past. Who knows if that same disdain would persist if the Yankees backed up the brink trucks for him, but there’s zero smoke about him wanting to don the pinstripes outside of Phillips’ prediction. My guess would be if the money was hypothetically equal between the Yankees and Red Sox, he would pick the Red Sox 11 out of 10 times.

He is expected to garner plenty of interest leaguewide. He is coming off one of the best seasons of his career a year ago, slashing .323/.396/.544 (166 OPS+) with 30 home runs, 103 RBIs, 44 doubles and one triple with a 6.2 bWAR and 5.5 fWAR. He doesn’t strikeout at an alarming rate, consistently barrels pitches in the zone and has crushed 30-plus home runs in three of his last four seasons. Guerrero will demand plenty of interest, but who will be the team to match his wants financially? We’ll see!

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