Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is having a brutal year at the plate, and somehow, the Toronto Blue Jays are still in striking distance for a Wild Card spot. Think about that for a second. This guy is supposed to be one of the best hitters in baseball, right? Yet, his down year is making everyone scratch their heads, especially when you look at the cash he’s pulling in.
The Half-Billion Dollar Bat That Went Quiet
Seriously, this guy, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., is supposed to be one of the absolute beasts in baseball, a top-tier hitter, no question. And yeah, he’s definitely getting paid like one, isn’t he? We’re talking a massive four-year, $500 million extension he inked with the Blue Jays just last April. That’s a deal you give to someone who changes the game, who delivers bombs and huge numbers, every single night. That’s the kind of money that says, “You are *the* guy.” But what are we seeing out there? His numbers are nowhere near that kind of paycheck, and the whole team has paid the price.
ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle nailed it, pointing out that if you “take those infusions to the pitching staff and add them to a team with an elite offense that just came within a hairsbreadth of winning the 2025 World Series, and you’d think sparks would fly.” But nope. The offense has been “as far from elite as you can get, slipping from fourth to dead last in runs per game.” Can you believe that? From fourth to dead last! After rocking an .848 OPS, 23 home runs, and 4.6 bWAR in 2025, Vlad Jr. has plummeted to just 1.3 bWAR and a measly nine homers this season. Doolittle called it a “stupefying plummet,” exemplified by Guerrero Jr.’s 89 OPS+ season. Get this: he just hit his first home run at Rogers Centre all year on Sunday, September 13. That’s two weeks before the regular season even ends!
When Your Star Slumps, The Whole Lineup Feels It
It’s not just the home run numbers, either. Guerrero Jr.’s .696 OPS somehow ranks only third among the Blue Jays. The team’s top hitters this season are George Springer with a .746 OPS and Kazuma Okamoto rocking a .779 OPS. That’s good for them, but when your $500 million superstar is third on the list, you’ve got problems. The lack of power from Vlad Jr. has to be a massive red flag for the Blue Jays. The craziest part? He won’t even turn 28 until March. He’s way too young to be losing this much power, this dramatically. The front office shelled out that incredible cash expecting homers, expecting a game-changer, and he just hasn’t delivered. While you can’t pin all the blame for Toronto’s offensive struggles squarely on one guy, Guerrero Jr. is absolutely the main topic of discussion right now. He’s the elephant in the room.
The Blue Jays are still sniffing a Wild Card spot, which is wild considering their offense is bottom of the barrel. But what happens if this offensive slump from their biggest slugger continues? How do you make a real run when the guy you paid half a billion bucks to isn’t delivering the power? That’s the question staring the Blue Jays front office right in the face as this season winds down.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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