The Boston Red Sox recently completed a blockbuster trade last week, and the next few months will be filled with speculation about who the next big target will be.
Boston has a lot of potential presently and appears to be one of the better teams in the American League. If the Red Sox stay healthy, they may be one of baseball’s finest teams by 2025. The starting rotation is loaded, the lineup now has Alex Bregman, and the bullpen is in better shape. Plus, Boston has some of the top prospects in baseball knocking on the major league door.
There’s a lot to appreciate about Boston right now, but the coming year will be filled with speculation about one superstar who isn’t on the roster. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., a Toronto Blue Jays standout, has been linked to Boston several times this summer, but he remains with the Blue Jays. While this is true, it was confirmed on Tuesday that the two parties were unable to reach an agreement on a contract extension, and he will enter free agency next offseason.
There has already been much speculation regarding Boston luring Guerrero to town. Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, a Red Sox insider, discussed the potential of signing him and estimated the cost.
“The Red Sox just finished off an aggressive offseason that saw them land Garrett Crochet, Alex Bregman and others,” Cotillo said. “After a development Tuesday morning, there’s a chance they’ll be in the market for an even bigger move next winter. Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. did not reach an extension with the club before his Monday night deadline, he told reporters in Dunedin on Tuesday. He fully anticipates hitting the open market next year and said the Jays did not come close to matching his number. According to MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson, Guerrero said winning will be a major priority when he becomes free…
“For Guerrero, who turns 26 next month and will hit free agency before his age-27 season, the Red Sox would likely have to hand out the biggest contract in free agent history,” Cotillo said. “He considered a $340 million offer from Toronto to be ‘not close’ to what he was looking for, so bidding could get well into the $400-500 million range, or higher. Boston showed an appetite to dip into the mega-deal market when the club offered Juan Soto a 15-year, $700 million contract before he took a $765 million offer from the Mets.”
Guerrero is a guy — like Soto and Shohei Ohtani — who the baseball world is going to be enamored with over the next year before free agency. Boston is going to be very good in 2025, but Guerrero would take the team to an even higher level. This isn’t the first time there will be a link between the two sides and won’t be the last.
