Vladimir Guerrero Jr. DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is not in the team's starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against the division-rival Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Will Wagner will make the start at first base and bat fifth against Red Sox right-hander Walker Buehler. This will be Guerrero's first day off of the 2025 season after he started the year going 15-for-52 (.288) with three doubles, four RBI, six walks and 10 strikeouts in 13 games played. While the 26-year-old has hit well, he still hasn't cleared the fences for his fantasy managers. That will hopefully happen this weekend in Baltimore against the division-rival Orioles. Until then, fantasy managers will need to move Vladdy to their benches on Thursday. Wagner has gotten off to an 8-for-30 start in 10 games with two doubles and two RBI for Toronto. He has never faced Buehler in his career.

According to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet, Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the team agreed on a 14-year, $500 million contract extension. This deal is the third-largest in MLB history and the second-richest in present-day value behind only New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto's contract. After a few free-agent misses during the offseason, the Blue Jays locked in their top player for what will likely be the remainder of his professional career. Throughout his seven-year MLB career with the Blue Jays, he has held a .287/.362/.498 slash line with 160 home runs, 478 runs, 511 RBI, and 20 stolen bases. This deal, undoubtedly, is the largest contract in Blue Jays history, and the fans, the organization, and Guerrero should all be excited about the extension.

ESPN's Buster Olney reports that the Toronto Blue Jays have made another offer in their negotiations with All-Star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but a gap still remains between the two sides. Guerrero reportedly made a final offer to the Blue Jays during spring training for 15 years and less than $600 million. It makes tons of sense for Toronto to be hesitant to give a player like Guerrero a deal that long, although he is only 26 years old and is coming off his fourth straight All-Star appearance. He slashed .323/.396/.544 with a .940 OPS, 30 home runs, 103 RBI and 98 runs scored in 159 games played in 2024 in his sixth year in the big leagues. Contract issues aside, Vlad is RotoBaller's top-ranked fantasy first baseman after he finished last year as a top-15 overall hitter in MLB.