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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. changes tune on potential Yankees trade as Blue Jays spiral

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3 months ago

June 25, 2024

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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. changes tune on potential Yankees trade as Blue Jays spiral

One of the Yankees’ most contested individual rivals may be open to playing in New York.

When speaking Monday with Spanish outlet Virus Deportivo before the Blue Jays’ game against the Red Sox in Boston, Toronto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. seemed more receptive to donning pinstripes if traded to the Yankees after saying in 2022 he’d never play in The Bronx, not even if he was “dead.”

“I’m a worker. I’m a professional,” Guerrero said when asked if he’d play for the Yankees if traded there. “I go out on the field to play.”

The star also backtracked his infamous comments about never wanting to play with the storied franchise.

“I talked with my dad; I talked with my family. Sometimes you say things that, it’s not like that,” Guerrero said. “I didn’t hold back what I said about the Yankees. But what I say is that the organization understands me.

“I’m a player that the [Yankees], that they need me with, or if they do something, it’s because they need me, obviously. I’ll be happy to help any team.”

Last April, Guerrero doubled down on not wanting to play for the Yankees, referencing his dad’s Hall-of-Fame career and never wanting to play in the Big Apple.

Guerrero has given plenty of fodder to become a villain in the eyes of Yankee fans.

The slugger shushed the Yankee Stadium crowd after a seventh inning home run on April 6, hit with Toronto trailing, 9-2.

In September 2022, Guerrero referred to Rogers Center as “my house” after a walk-off hit to down the Yankees.

The next day, the Yankees won the AL East crown with a 5-2 win in Toronto.

Guerrero has enjoyed a resurgent 2024 season, posting a 131 weighted runs created plus (wRC+) — 100 is considered league average — with 10 home runs, 36 RBIs and a .368 on-base percentage with 1.3 wins above replacement (WAR), which is tied for fifth on the team.

However, the Blue Jays have underwhelmed in a big way, sitting just 35-43 — last place in the division and 7.5 games back of the final AL wild-card spot — after dropping their seventh straight game Monday.

Speculation has raged about which pieces Toronto may ship before the July 30 trade deadline, and Guerrero’s name has continued to pop up for teams in search of hitting.

Given Anthony Rizzo’s recent arm fracture and the Yankees ranking 23rd in Fangraphs WAR by first basemen, Guerrero would seem to be a fit.

The 25-year-old is under team control through the 2025 season, and with Toronto in poor position to contend for both 2024 and beyond, Guerrero’s tenure with his hometown team may be reaching its expiration date.