The Blue Jays’ season is over, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has now put words to the slump that helped sink it.
After Toronto’s 4-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, the Blue Jays were officially eliminated from playoff contention, ending their bid to defend the 2025 American League pennant. It has been a rough year across the board for John Schneider’s club, with injuries, an uneven pitching staff and an inconsistent lineup wrecking what was supposed to be a stronger roster after a busy offseason.
At the center of it all has been Guerrero Jr.’s downturn. The production drop has been obvious for months, and he finally addressed it directly in an interview with Veronica Batista.
“I want people to understand one thing. The money they gave me wasn't for what I'm going to do. It was for what I already did,” Guerrero Jr. said, translated by Phillip Feliz on X.
“They didn't pay me because I'm going to hit 40 every year. They paid me for what I already accomplished.
People are confused about that, but I think the same way they do. Like, sometimes I even say to myself: bro, they gave you all that money and you're out here doing nothing.
I try.”
That’s a blunt explanation from Toronto’s franchise player, and it lands in the middle of a season that has fallen far short of expectations. Guerrero Jr. helped power the Blue Jays’ run to the World Series, and nobody is questioning the accomplishments that earned him his deal.
But the present tense has been the problem. In 533 at-bats, he has nine home runs and 56 RBIs, and he didn’t finally hit his first home run at Rogers Centre until September 13.
The fans have felt the drop-off, and Guerrero Jr. knows it.
“You know how it is with fans, when you're good, they're with you 100%,” Guerrero said in the same interview. “But when you smell like sh#t, like we like to say here, nobody supports you.”
Following Wednesday’s loss to the Orioles, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic asked Guerrero Jr. whether he regrets making those remarks.
“No, I don't regret myself. I'm not lying with what I say. I understand some fans, they don't understand the way and what I was trying to say specifically, but what I said is the way I feel.”
Guerrero Jr. also said, via his interpreter Hector LeBron, “Every at-bat when I fail, I think about my contract because I know all of these people who go to the games, they pay to see me being successful, to do something good every at-bat. Every time I think about that.”
He was clear that he is not using the slump as a shield. Guerrero Jr. acknowledged the rough year and said he’ll spend the offseason preparing the best way he can, according to Matheson.
Toronto’s season has been a disappointment from top to bottom, but the path forward still runs through Guerrero Jr. If the Blue Jays are going to get back to where they want to be, they need him to look like himself again.
In Other News...
Mariners Next Manager Call May Come Down To One Crucial Choice
As the Mariners look ahead to 2027, the conversation around their next manager is already beginning to take shape with Dan Wilson unlikely to return. One name that naturally fits into the discussion is Torey Lovullo, the current Diamondbacks manager, who brings both experience and a past connection to Seattle executive Jerry Dipoto.
Lovullo is in the final year of his contract in Arizona, and his status there is far from settled, which only adds another layer to Seattles planning. For the Mariners, the appeal is obvious: a familiar baseball mind with a track record and an existing relationship in the front office, even if the timing and the broader managerial market could end up deciding how real that fit becomes. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Just Gave The AL West Race New Life
The Mariners turned a tense night at T-Mobile Park into one that matters all over the American League West, erasing a 4-0 hole and outlasting the Astros 6-5 in 10 innings. Josh Naylor delivered the walk-off RBI single, while Dominic Canzone and Julio Rodriguez chipped in key RBI hits and Cooper Criswell helped steady things with a strong bullpen effort.
For Seattle, the win did more than protect pride in one game. It kept the division chase alive in a real way, but the math remains unforgiving: the Mariners still need to win their final four games and get some help from both Houston and Texas if theyre going to finish the job and take the AL West. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Are Finally Near A Dan Wilson Decision Fans Expected Much Sooner
Dan Wilsons tenure in the Mariners dugout appears to be nearing its end, and the timing has the feel of something the club has been bracing for rather than reacting to. A resolution on his future is expected shortly after the 2026 season wraps, with the most likely window coming around the Tuesday after the final game, and the front office may use a press conference to explain where things stand. John Stanton and Jerry Dipoto are expected to be central voices if and when the club addresses the move.
For Seattle, the bigger picture is less about the formality of the announcement than what comes next. Wilsons exit is expected to be presented as a mutual parting rather than a clean firing, which would soften the edges of a significant transition while still signaling a new direction. The Mariners are already weighing potential replacements, even if no official decision has been made, and the lingering question now is how quickly the organization moves from the end of one era to the start of the next. [Read more 🡒]