Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has spent plenty of this season under a harsh offensive spotlight, and for good reason. The bat hasn’t matched the paycheck - he’s making $40 million this year to drive in runs, and that part of the job hasn’t come through often enough.
But while the numbers at the plate have drawn the most attention, Guerrero has quietly put together the best defensive season of his career at first base.
If he keeps this up, he’s on pace to capture his second career Gold Glove Award there.
Through 104 games at first base, Guerrero has produced some of the strongest defensive marks of his career. His 72 assists at the position are a career high since he moved there at the start of the 2021 season, and he’s already gone beyond the numbers that helped him win his first Gold Glove in 2022 - with more than 25 games still left to add to them.
The advanced metrics back it up too. Guerrero ranks second among American League first basemen in outs above average, and he has saved five runs on defense. Former Blue Jay Ty France, now with the San Diego Padres, leads the league with seven runs saved.
Measured against the rest of Toronto’s roster, Guerrero’s defensive work stands out even more. His numbers are the second-best among Blue Jays players, trailing only three-time Gold Glove winner Andrés Giménez.
The 27-year-old has handled 219 balls this season, and 92 per cent of them have turned into outs - the best success rate of his eight-year career in Toronto.
There are only a couple of American League first basemen putting up comparable numbers. Paul Goldschmidt of the New York Yankees has done it in 40 fewer games, while Los Angeles Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel has posted very similar figures.
Offense still gets the headlines, and wins and losses usually follow the loudest bats. But Guerrero’s growth with the glove deserves its own attention. At a time when the power hasn’t been there - he has the same number of home runs at the Rogers Centre as the person reading this article - fielding is the one area where he’s clearly getting it done.
In Other News...
Bo Bichette Just Reopened A Blue Jays What-If Fans Will Feel
Bo Bichettes move to the Mets has already turned him into a different sort of presence, one built less on the daily noise of a clubhouse centerpiece and more on the quiet work of helping younger players find their footing. In a recent interview, Bichette talked about embracing a leadership role with A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge, a shift that clearly came from looking back on his own path. He said he had to navigate the early part of his career without a mentor, and pointed to Marcus Semien as a meaningful influence along the way.
For Blue Jays fans, the conversation naturally stirs up the kind of what-if that never really goes away once a familiar player leaves. Bichette signed a three-year deal with the Mets that includes player options, and his offense has been quieter this season, which only adds another layer to the picture of where his career sits now. Toronto doesnt get a direct benefit from his new role, but it does get another reminder of what he was to the organization, and of how different things might have looked if that next step had unfolded in a blue Jays uniform. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays May Have Found An Unexpected Piece In The Gausman Trade
Brett Bateman is one of the more interesting leftovers from the Kevin Gausman trade, and he has made a strong early case for staying on Torontos radar. Acquired from the Cubs, Bateman has gotten chances in the lineup and has used them to show the kind of skill set the Blue Jays can always use: plenty of contact, a good eye for reaching base, speed, and dependable defense.
He has done it in a small sample of 17 major-league games, and the production has been enough to get attention even without much power attached. Bateman has not gone deep yet, but the broader profile is what stands out for Toronto, especially as the club keeps sorting out which young players might eventually fit into its future roster. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Offseason Flexibility Just Took Another Hit
Jose Berrios future in Toronto looks a lot more settled than unsettled as the offseason begins. According to MLB.coms Mark Feinsand, it is extremely unlikely the right-hander will opt out of the remaining $48 million on his Blue Jays contract, a development that matters well beyond one rotation spot. Berrios underwent Tommy John surgery in May and is expected to miss a significant portion of the 2027 season, making the idea of testing free agency far less realistic.
For the Blue Jays, the bigger issue is what this means for their winter flexibility. A potential opt-out had been one possible avenue for creating more room on the books, but that path now appears closed, leaving Toronto with one less way to reshape the roster. In a market where every dollar can affect how aggressively a club can chase pitching and other upgrades, losing that option is another small but meaningful blow. [Read more 🡒]