Quote:
Originally Posted by JTech780
The thing is that since 2021 Vladdy has been a top 10 offensive player in all of baseball, maybe he isn't in the same category as Judge, Ohtani and Soto, but he is in the same category as Betts, Harper, Ramirez.
The Ohtani and Soto deals have changed the landscape for deals going forward. If Vladdy goes to free agency next year, it's going to be him and Kyle Tucker who teams are going to be fighting over, Tucker will be 29 and Vladdy will be 26. Vladdy is easily going to get $450m.
Vladdy showed what he is fully capable of in 2021, putting up offensive numbers that rival Soto's best season. While he hasn't put up numbers similar since he has still been a very good offensive player, and IMO the type of player that you do shell out top end money for.
If they let Vladdy walk or trade him because they aren't willing to go to $500m, then this is a franchise that will never have top end talent or will never be able to keep top end talent and franchise that will forever be on the outside looking in as far as competing for championships.
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The downward trajectory Vladdy had is what I was talking about. Yeah he looks like a top 10 hitter i baseball when you include his MVP caliber 2021. Problem is he got worse the next year, and then even worse the next year after that, to the point where he was basically a 1 WAR overweight 1B that provided negative defense and baserunning and constantly made ridiculous mental mistakes that cost the team dearly.
How in the world could the Jays FO justify giving him a mega deal any time during 2022, 2023 or 2024?
But luckily for Vlad he went on a tear for the last half of 2024, and now that all the fans are mad at the FO for missing the playoffs last year, they want to blame them for not signing that guy to a massive deal when he looked to be circling the drain. I think most fans sentiments during the particularly bad 2023 season was "thank god we didn't sign Vladdy to a mega deal after 2021" I know that's what I was thinking.
Of course they're all changing their tune now after he was suddenly the best hitter in baseball last summer and fall.