Blue Jays' attempt to match Yankees with Vladimir Guerrero Jr trade is deranged

The case of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. continues to be the saga of the offseason, outlasting most of the other free agency/trade situations out there. And it's one that directly affects the New York Yankees with the star slugger residing in the AL East.

It's unclear what will happen, given the pendulum of reports regarding a potential contract extension. First, the Jays were reportedly $100 million off in talks with Guerrero Jr. and now they're diligently working to bridge the gap.

But in the meantime, trade rumors have surfaced, especially after Pete Alonso and the Mets had their falling out, potentially clearing a path for another monster move for Steve Cohen's team. What will it cost?

Hm, a player entering his contract year and unlikely to entertain contract extension talks with a $28.5 million salary attached to him for 2025? Shouldn't be too crazy when you realize the other option is the Jays lose him for nothing if they can't come to an agreement on a deal before the start of the year.

According to reports, however, Toronto is drawing a hard line in the sand in trade discussions, and reportedly want a trade package that "exceeds the value" of what the Yankees sent to the San Diego Padres last offseason for Juan Soto.

Yankees Rumors: Blue Jays want monster trade return for Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

This either means the Blue Jays are telegraphing the fact they aren't trading Guerrero Jr., or they've reached peak delusion after missing out on so many free agents and trade candidates, the most recent of which was Roki Sasaki.

Though the Yankees' package of Michael King, Kyle Higashioka, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito and Randy Vasquez wasn't the sexiest of returns, that's still two good major league players, one top prospect, and two valuable pitching depth options. If anything, the volume the Padres received was massive if the talent wasn't top-tier.

But in this day and age, if we're talking about "setting the precedent" with contracts and trade packages — much like how Soto's contract with the Mets apparently set a new precedent for what Guerrero Jr. wants for his next deal — then on what planet are the Blue Jays setting a new benchmark in trade talks for an inferior player?

Perhaps Toronto is clinging to the fact that the Padres accepted the Yankees trade because they were seemingly desperate to get Soto's money off the books and badly needed pitching depth. The Jays aren't in that situation. They have one of the wealthiest ownership groups in the sport and would be happy to keep Vladdy for one more season. Still, that doesn't mean you're going to alter a market one year later. The world just watched the Yankees get burned with Soto leaving. If anything, opposing teams might not want to take such a risk parting with 4-6 players for one guy who's probably going after the shiniest toy when the offseason arrives.

For a long time now, it's felt like the Blue Jays' priorities have been out of wack, and this development, if true, further proves that's probably what's going on.