Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s 2026 season was the sort of year that seemed impossible. Coming off October stardom and World Baseball Classic dominance, the Toronto Blue Jays’ first baseman managed just nine homers and a well-below-league-average OPS.

Without a major injury sabotaging his year, one of baseball’s top sluggers became one of the worst qualified hitters in the sport.

It’s happened before. Other stars in their prime have fallen out of nowhere. Some recovered, while others did not. Here’s what we can learn from some of those historical examples (read for free):
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7717535/2026/10/26/vlad-guerrero-jr-stats-2026-contract-performance-comparison/?unlocked_article_code=1.LlE.cMRa.SUt2gli4B0qb&source=emp_shared_article&smid=url-share-ta

Not sure if this is allowed as it's not technically Blue Jays related, but watching the pre-show right now for the World Series and I'm so glad we have Jamie Campbell leading our pre-game (and of course Hazel and Arden on the ground). I love the insight, the analysis and the humour.

Thanks for all you do, Mr. Campbell! And that facial hair is magnificent.

I did this last season and no one I asked for came to the Jays but considering I was hoping for Edwin Diaz and Bichette/Bellinger and instead we got Cease and Oak I was wrong last time and I want to Redeem myself with my free agency asks this year. I'll go position by position and see what is needed. Let's start:

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BATTING:

This needs more concern than the pitching considering this lineup was missing a lot last season. Considering how much payroll is being shed this is where most of the money should go in my opinion.

Main Departures:

Springer :(

Also Straw isn't gonna be brought back on his current team option deal but I can see him returning on a cheaper deal.

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KEY PLAYERS STAYING AND STARTING EVERYDAY 100%:

C: Kirk and Valenzuela are both very good defensively and Kirk has been consistently great at offense. There should be zero concern here.

1B: Vladdy is supposed to be the face of the franchise and I'm confident that he'll have a great offensive bounce back year. Add in Gold Glove defense and there's no one i would take over him

3B: Oakamto and Barger both can play this position and both will be in the lineup day in day out. They are the power threats hopefully alongside Vladdy.

CF: Brett Bateman was suprisingly the best addition from the trade deadline and is a great leadoff hitter and has earned his spot there

SS: Gimenez is one of the best defensive players in the game and has been Gold Glove level basically for his whole career. He stays.

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OTHER PLAYERS LIKELY TO START:

OF: Nathan Lukes has been very steady and very reliable the past two seasons and is a great 3rd or 4th outfielder. He should retain his role

Util: My hot take is that Clement should be more uneasy about his spot instead of the general consenues that he is automatically starting. I have a competitor in mind that I'll name later.

OF: Barger plays here if not at third

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FREE AGENT HITTERS I WANT:

2 out of 5 would be great for me here personally:

Brandon Lowe: I would love for him to be on this team especially after the year he had along with improving his defense as well. He is a good fit and his contract wouldn't be too insane being maybe 23-27 million AAV. He could be the 2B starter while Clement stays as UTIL.

Teruaki Sato: Considering Springer is leaving he could very well play the DH role or 3B or RF which gives great versatility and considering he just won the Triple Crown in Japan he may just be the best hitter from the free agent class.

Jazz Chilsholm: People may not agree but I think out of all the hitting free agents other than Lowe and Arozarena he would be the best for us. He brings a great speed threat along with also having potential to go 30-30. He also would fit well at 2B. He is my underrated pick

Seiya Suzuki: This is really realistic and also has had rumors about it plus he would also fill in the DH spot really well. This team also needs some power hitting.

Randy Arozarena: He is the top ranked hitter and for good reason. He had a career year and provides great hitting metrics along with defense. He along with Bateman and Lukes/Barger would create a great defensive outfield trio and also he has been an all star along with a proven postseason track-record. His contract would be huge though.

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PITCHING:

Our pitching is actually pretty good but we still need a couple of SP and maybe one or two high leverage relivers since Hoffman the 7th inning guy isn't here anymore.

Main Departures:

Bieber: He would be a nice pickup but he is incredibly injury prone

Scherzer: Would love to have him back for a retirment tour but nothing is confirmed.

Corbin: Was a nice pickup but isn't really up to standards.

Sewald: Would be nice to resign him on a team friendly deal.

Garcia: Honestly we already found the 8th and 9th inning guy so I wouldn't wanna overpay for him

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OUR ROTATION:

SP 1 - Cease is the ace and will be for years. No doubt

SP 2 - Hopefully a free agent

SP 3 - Soriano was a nice pickup and will fill this spot nicely

SP 4 - Yesavage is still young and performing at a top level

SP 5 - Ponce should take over and hopefully not have injury troubles

Closer: Varland has that on lock

8th Inning Guy: Rogers has that on lock

High leverage: Miles was also Elite

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FREE AGENT SIGNINGS:

One or two starters and maybe one reliever would be great. This Starter though should be at an elite level. I want 1-2/4

Skubal: Let's be honest this would be unrealistic but he is the best player on the market. The contract would be crazy being at least 200-300 Million but he and Cease would be the best 1-2 punch since Cole and Verlander.

King: He has blossomed into a very good pitcher and has been an all star level pitcher the past season. His contract wouldn't be crazy and he could become even better. I would also be happy with him

Peralta: He has been crazy in the postseason and has won ALCS MVP so he is coming off of a high for sure. His number may not look the greatest in the regular season but the Rays fixed him and now he will get a 9 figure contract. It's a risk I would take.

Andre Morejon: If we were to sign a reliever the only one I would want is him. He's young enough and should be very reliable. He did well with the Padres and should do well here

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So those are my thoughts. Do you agree