Both Vladdy Jr. and Bo Bichette were set to be free agents once the season came to a close.
You could not lose them both and have any standing left with your fanbase.
Is it an overpay for a first baseman?
Is this a desperate move from an organization that simply needed to get a W on the board?
Will it end up amounting to any sort of Blue Jays resurgence?
The Blue Jays couldn’t let him walk and Vladdy held all the leverage.
In the end he won and received the third biggest contract ever handed out in baseball history.
Make no mistake about it, Vladdy is an incredible hitter when he’s locked in.
His 2021 and 2024 seasons were spectacular.
In between those seasons, however, he was average by his standards.
Again, that was the beauty of the leverage he had vs. Toronto.
In the end I’m pretty relieved about this.
I don’t think he was ever coming to the Yankees/the Yankees were going full boar for him.
Now Boston or the Mets?
The Mets fans seemed to have Vladdy penciled into their future plans
So much for that.
Someone this does directly impact?
Kyle Tucker, who is now set to be the prized free agent this offseason.
While Tucker is two years older, he’s a better all around player than Vladdy.
This is the man the Yankees must prioritize in the offseason.
He can extend their World Series window with Judge/Cole while opening his own for the years after.
They cannot afford to lose that one like they did Soto .
For now, congrats to the Blue Jays for keeping their home grown, Canadian born superstar.
They needed a win so badly.
Maybe him sticking around for the next decade+ will entice other free agents to join him.
Or they’ll continue to be dissuaded by the Toronto taxes and constant travel to another country.
