Blue Jays Fans Deserve a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Extension

I’m a baseball romantic first and foremost, and what’s more romantic than the player who perfectly embodies your franchise and decides to stay put for his entire career? The Blue Jays have not yet had one of those. Our best and longest-serving players have gone to and/or come from elsewhere. Roy Halladay, Carlos Delgado, George Bell, Jesse Barfield, Lloyd Moseby, Fred McGriff, Jimmy Key, Tony Fernandez, John Olerud, and David Wells all left or were traded after rising through the organization and excelling in the big leagues. Bautista, Encarnacion, Alomar, and Carter arrived in Toronto via other teams, had dominant career peaks, and then left again. Dave Stieb would easily be our man if not for a terrible four-game sojourn with the White Sox in 1993. Looking at a list of all the players who were exclusively Blue Jays is depressingly underwhelming. Using an arbitrary four-season minimum caveat to weed out all of the cup of coffee guys, here is a list of all the career Blue Jays ranked by their bWAR:

• Luis Leal (1980-1985) 10.6 bWAR
• Ricky Romero (2009-2013) 10.1 bWAR
• Jerry Garvin (1977-1982) 7.1 bWAR
• Devon Travis (2015-2018) 5.8 bWAR
• Jesse Litsch (2007-2011) 4 bWAR
• Garth Iorg (1978-1987) 3.5 bWAR
• Mike Willis (1977-1981) 1.8 bWAR
• Chad Jenkins (2012-2015) 1.5 bWAR
• Dalton Pompey (2014-2018) 0.5 bWAR
• Russ Adams (2004-2009) 0.0 bWAR
• Scott Richmond (2008-2012) -0.1 bWAR

And here are the four-season-minimum lifer-Jays currently on the team, also ranked by bWAR:

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (2019-2024) 21.5 bWAR
• Bo Bichette (2019-2024) 17.5 bWAR
• Alejandro Kirk (2020-2024) 9 bWAR
• Alek Manoah (2021-2024) 7.3 bWAR

If Vladimir Guerrero Jr. decides to quit playing baseball tomorrow to spend more time cross-stitching, he would be the greatest career Blue Jay by a significant margin, more than double second-place Leal. No matter how good the embroidery patterns at Michael’s might be, I’m guessing that will not come to pass. What will happen is one of two things: Guerrero signs a massive contract extension to remain with the Jays until he nearly hangs 'em up, or he doesn’t, becomes a free agent, and likely goes elsewhere for the rest of his career. If an extension isn’t agreed upon in the next month and change, the Blue Jays may lose their best shot at having a truly iconic face of the franchise player spend his entire career in Toronto. Guerrero Jr. could be Mr. Blue Jay. Or, next season, he’ll put on the hat that might adorn his Hall of Fame plaque. I can speak for Blue Jay fans when I say I prefer he stays put.

The Blue Jays are one of only a handful of clubs wanting a monogamous relationship with an all-time star. As such, it might be equally fun and torturous to look at all the major league clubs to see who has enjoyed this privilege. Then, we can better understand how the Blue Jays stack up in this regard.

The following is a ranking of each Major League club ordered by the bWAR accumulated by their top, exclusive player:

Minnesota Twins: Walter Johnson (1907-1927) 166.9 bWAR
The greatest pitcher of all time spent his entire career with the Washington Senators, who became the Minnesota Twins in 1961. The Twins have had a handful of great one-team stars, including Joe Mauer, Kirby Puckett, and Tony Oliva. I'm sure Twins fans would also want me to mention Kent Hrbek here.

St. Louis Cardinals: Stan Musial (1941-1963) 128.5 bWAR
Is Musial the most overlooked legend in baseball history? He was one of the greatest overall ballplayers ever to play the game and is undoubtedly the no-brainer icon of the Cardinals franchise. Oh yeah, and the second-place player on the franchise list is Bob Gibson.

Boston Red Sox: Ted Williams (1939-1960) 121.8 bWAR
The Splendid Splinter tops this list for the Sox. So good was he that his military-interrupted career resulted in only 19 seasons of bWAR accrual. Yet his total of 121.8 tops the next greatest career Red Sock, Carl Yastrzemski, and his twenty-three seasons by 25.3 points.

New York Yankees: Lou Gehrig (1923-1939) 113.7 bWAR
The Yankees have eighteen exclusive players with 40+ bWAR, nine of whom are in the Hall of Fame. This does not include Aaron Judge, who will probably play the rest of his career in New York and is on a Hall of Fame track. He has currently amassed 52.2 bWAR.

San Francisco Giants: Mel Ott (1926-1947) 110.9 bWAR
The third member of the 500-home run club was a lifelong New York Giant. Carl Hubbell, Bill Terry, Travis Jackson, and Ross Youngs are four other Hall of Famers who played exclusively for the Giants. Buster Posey will likely join those ranks in the coming years.

Philadelphia Phillies: Mike Schmidt (1972-1989) 106.9 bWAR
There are fewer great lifelong Phillies than I would have imagined, but no matter. The greatest third baseman of all time tops the Philadelphia list and is surely “Mr. Phillie” in fans' minds.

Baltimore Orioles: Cal Ripken Jr. (1981-2001) 95.9 bWAR
The Iron Man of baseball is atop the Baltimore leaderboard. This leaderboard also includes Hall of Famers Brooks Robinson and Jim Palmer.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Roberto Clemente (1955-1972) 94.9 bWAR
Wow, Roberto Clemente was good. And he spent his whole career in black and gold. So did Willie Stargell, Pie Traynor, and Bill Mazeroski. That's a nice collection of franchise stars for the Steel City.

Detroit Tigers: Al Kaline (1953-1974) 92.8 bWAR
The most steady presence a team could hope for in the lineup and the field, “Mr. Tiger” broke into the Majors at eighteen years old and played in the Motor City until he retired at thirty-nine. Just behind Kaline on the Tigers' leaderboard are Charlie Gehringer, Lou Whitaker, Alan Trammell, and Bill Freehan.

Kansas City Royals: George Brett (1973-1993) 88.6 bWAR
Brett is certainly the player who most embodies the Royals. If Mike Schmidt weren't that much better, Brett would have a legitimate claim as the greatest third baseman of all time. Instead, he'll have to settle for the most famous hemorrhoids of all time. Salvador Perez and his 35.5 bWAR is already in second place on the franchise list, and if he plays out the string in KC, he will certainly be the modern torch-bearer as “Mr. Royal.”

Los Angeles Angels: Mike Trout (2011-2024) 86.2 bWAR
The greatest career Angel for a time was Tim Salmon until this other fish came along. Though certainly Trout could be moved at some point in the future, Angels ownership did exactly what we're all hoping Jays ownership will do with Guerrero, and they locked down their marquee player with a long-term contract extension. For now, I feel confident calling Trout the greatest career Angel.

Atlanta Braves: Chipper Jones (1993-2012) 85.3 bWAR
Unfortunately, neither Hank Aaron nor Eddie Matthews played in the Braves organization for all their years. And none of the members of the great 1990s pitching staff played their entire careers in Atlanta. So, the offensive linchpin of those dynastic Braves teams is the answer. Alex Anthopoulos is doing his best to add to this list by signing many young stars to long-term contracts.

Houston Astros: Jeff Bagwell (1991-2005) 79.9 bWAR
Bagwell's bWAR edges out the other “Mr. Astro,” Craig Biggio. Both of these Hall of Fame players are synonymous with the Astros franchise. It will be interesting to see if Jose Altuve will end his career with the Astros and put his name in the running beside Bagwell and Biggio as career-long franchise icons.

Milwaukee Brewers: Robin Yount (1974-1993) 77.4 bWAR
The shortstop/centerfielder/first-baseman, two-time MVP, and Hall of Famer is the heartbeat of the Brewers organization. Ryan Braun, the next-best lifer-Brewer, doesn't hold a candle to Yount's greatness.

Chicago White Sox: Luke Appling (1930-1950) 77.4 bWAR
After the embarrassment of the 2024 White Sox season, it's hard to remember that this is a very old club with a long history of great players. Though largely overlooked as a franchise icon, Appling was one of the best shortstops in Major League Baseball from the beginning of the Depression until well after World War II. Also on this list are the great pitchers and fellow Hall of Famers Red Faber and Ted Lyons.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw (2008-2024) 76.5 bWAR
I feel pretty confident assuming that Kershaw will retire as a Dodger. If not, the next names on this list are Pee Wee Reese, Jackie Robinson, Don Drysdale, Sandy Koufax, and Roy Campanella.

Cincinnati Reds: Johnny Bench (1967-1983) 75.1 bWAR
Bench is the greatest catcher of all time and no doubt the greatest exclusive Red. Though fans may pick any member of the Big Red Machine as their icon of the franchise, it is only Bench and Dave Concepcion who spent their entire careers in Cincinnati. Runners-up here are Barry Larkin, Joey Votto, and Bid McPhee.

San Diego Padres: Tony Gwynn (1982-2001) 69.2 bWAR
His bWAR total ranks him lower on this list than we might initially think, but Gwynn had very little power and wasn't great in the field or on the bases. But he was a magician with the bat and, as a human being, a treasure for our game. Fernando Tatis Jr.'s long-term contract may keep him in San Diego for his career, and he would have a great shot at overtaking Gwynn's bWAR total. Regardless, Gwynn will forever be “Mr. Padre.”

Seattle Mariners: Edgar Martinez (1987-2004) 68.4 bWAR
The Mariners are a great proxy for the Blue Jays, as they share a birth date. Unlike the Blue Jays, the Mariners have had two exclusive stars: Martinez and Félix Hernandez. Seattle has been graced with transcendent stars in Griffey Jr., A-Rod, Randy Johnson, and Ichiro Suzuki, but all played elsewhere throughout their careers. Martinez acted as the one constant through that roster churn and surely bears the title of “Mr. Mariner.”

Chicago Cubs: Ernie Banks (1953-1971) 67.7 bWAR
There's no question that the emblem of Cubs baseball is “Mr. Cub” himself, Ernie Banks. However, there are far fewer great career Cubs than I would have assumed for one of the oldest franchises in baseball. Much like Gwynn, even if there were an exclusive Cub who was a competitor for Banks' bWAR total, Cubs fans would likely still keep Banks at the top of their minds regarding franchise icons.

Cleveland Guardians: Bob Feller (1936-1956) 65.2 bWAR
This is an interesting one. Undoubtedly, Feller may be the player Guardians fans think of as their franchise icon. But they may be watching the man who will soon claim that title in, José Ramirez, who sits at 52.4 bWAR. Bob Lemon is just behind Feller, as is Addie Joss, who may have been poised to become one of the greatest pitchers of all time had he not been struck down by tuberculosis after only nine seasons.

Colorado Rockies: Todd Helton (1997-2013) 61.8 bWAR
This one is a no-brainer. Todd Helton IS the Colorado Rockies. He was a great player whose career numbers belie the fabled “Coors Effect.” Charlie Blackmon is next on the list and sits about forty points behind Helton in bWAR.

Oakland (???) Athletics: Eddie Rommel (1920-1932) 49.7 bWAR
Well, here we are towards the bottom of the rankings. Stinginess is not just a current phenomenon for the Athletics. In the days of Connie Mack, players were sold and traded constantly. In Kansas City, the Athletics were no more than a farm team for the Yankees. Charles Finley continued the tradition of penny-pinching, which famously carried over into the Moneyball era. As a result, all of the great Athletics throughout history, Foxx, Collins, Grove, Jackson, Fingers, Blue, Henderson, McGwire, Canseco, Giambi, Tejada, and Zito have been moved. So we end up with Eddie Rommel as the greatest exclusive Athletic. An excellent pitcher, sure, but Rommel is not an all-time great, and certainly not someone Athletics fans would identify as a franchise icon.

New York Mets: David Wright (2004-2018) 49.2 bWAR
Wright's lifetime bWAR would rank much higher if not for career-ending injuries. He would also have had a better shot at the Hall of Fame and may have been positioned as an all-time great. He is still the greatest career Met and surely someone Mets fans would identify as a franchise icon.

Washington Nationals: Steve Rogers (1973-1985) 45.1 bWAR
By the numbers, former Expo Steve Rogers is the correct answer here. Once we account for recency bias and a city change, Ryan Zimmerman and his career 40.1 bWAR earned him the title “Mr. National.”

Arizona Diamondbacks: Brandon Webb (2003-2009) 33 bWAR
The 2006 National League Cy Young Award winner enjoyed several years of dominance on the mound before a shoulder injury cut his career short. Who knows whether or not he would have continued playing for the Diamondbacks had he had a full career? Nonetheless, his seven seasons and 33 bWAR rank him at the top of the franchise list.

Texas Rangers: Rusty Greer (1994-2002) 22.4 bWAR
Greer was a fan favourite during his relatively short career in Texas. He played hard on defense and had a few good seasons with the bat in a powerful Rangers lineup. I wonder how many Rangers fans know he tops their team's bWAR list for career Rangers. Whether they know it or not, I'm sure it would make them happy.

Tampa Bay Rays: Desmond Jennings (2010-2016) 13.4 bWAR
Though Brandon Lowe sits at 16 bWAR, I'm not holding my breath that he'll play out his entire career in Tampa. So Desmond Jennings, with his 13.4 bWAR over parts of seven seasons with the Rays, holds the top spot on the franchise list.

Miami Marlins: Jose Fernández (2013-2016) 13 bWAR
Fernandez is a very sad addition to this list. His tragic passing means we have no idea how his career may have unfolded. Given that the Marlins have no other lifer players above 10 bWAR, one can imagine that he would have moved on whenever he hit free agency.

Toronto Blue Jays: Luis Leal (1980-1985) 10.6 bWAR
That's right. Our Toronto Blue Jays are dead last here. No shade to Luis Leal, who had a fine career as part of a pitching staff during pivotal years for the Jays while they turned into legitimate contenders in the American League. But to not have any other exclusive player who ranks ahead of Leal's paltry 10.6 bWAR is an indictment of the franchise. Bichette and Guerrero Jr. currently sit ahead of this mark. Still, neither is likely to play their entire careers in Toronto unless this front office finally delivers the fan base some good news and works out a long-term extension for Guerrero Jr.

I understand why teams like the Rays or Marlins have to suffer through endlessly transient lineups. Bad ownership and fewer resources than the big dogs of their respective divisions have forced their hands into constantly dealing away their best players to pull in prospect capital or cash. The Blue Jays are not, and absolutely should not, be like them. It is mind-boggling that a soon-to-be fifty-year-old franchise has never had a star-calibre single-team player.

I want Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to be the first exclusively Blue Jay superstar. I want it because he's cool. I want it because he's fun. I want it because he's already a star. But most of all, I want it because I want the dignity afforded those fans whose teams have cemented a true face of the franchise. So many things make baseball beautiful, but too many things make it cold, capitalistic, and industrial. Having a franchise icon who stays put for his entire career is one way to fend off the insidious forces of crass commercialization and economics in every corner of the sport. It can help to reignite those romantic feelings for the game: familiarity, constancy, and normalcy. Having your guy out there year after year provides the personal familiarity we crave as fans. The day-to-day nature of the game can make these players feel like family in an oddly mediated way. So when the ones you fall in love with leave, it can hurt as bad as an older brother leaving home for university or a beloved cousin moving across the country. We want these players to stick around to remind us that some things can stay the same despite the endless churn of rosters, ballpark redesigns, or team relocations. I desperately want the Blue Jays and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to reach a long-term agreement so he can stay home and be part of our family.