The Toronto Blue Jays recently failed to come to terms on a contract extension with superstar first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. before the offseason deadline.
Guerrero will now be headed for free agency at the end of the 2025 season. If Toronto falls out of the playoff picture ahead of the 2025 MLB trade deadline, there’s a very high chance it will explore the possibility of dealing Guerrero before he lands in free agency.
Bleacher Report’s Zachary Rymer recently listed the Cincinnati Reds as a “would-be contender” that you can’t rule out of the Guerrero trade sweepstakes.
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“The Reds project to be deficient at both first base and DH, so Guerrero will make a lot of sense for them if they climb their way into the NL Central race,” Rymer wrote. “Money is the bigger question, as the Reds’ payroll is already inflated.”
The Reds don’t make much sense at all here.
The first thing to note is the fact that Cincinnati would have close to a zero percent chance to re-sign Guerrero at the end of the 2025 season. Cincinnati likely wouldn’t compete with teams like the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and New York Mets in a bidding war. Trading for him would almost certainly be a half-year rental.
The Reds have also spent the last few years building up their farm system. Trading for Guerrero would destroy the top level of this farm system, likely costing Cincinnati three or four top prospects.
Even if the Reds landed Guerrero, it’s hard to imagine them as World Series contenders. Cincinnati shouldn’t be considered in the Guerrero sweepstakes whatsoever.
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