‘In the end, they’ll have Vladdy and Aaron Judge in the middle of the lineup.’

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Spring Training is supposed to be a time of optimism in baseball, when fans of any team can look ahead to the coming season with hope.
Well, maybe not Blue Jays fans.
After the team failed to come to an agreement with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on a long-term contract extension, the homegrown superstar is set to walk in free agency after this season.
With the star slugger’s self-imposed deadline for a new deal passing on Tuesday, speculation has run rampant on where Vladdy’s next baseball home will be because it’s very doubtful he will be in Toronto beyond 2025 — if he isn’t traded away earlier in the season.
During an appearance on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM, Phillips gave his thoughts on Vladdy’s next potential landing spot.
“He’s going to be a Yankee, I think he’s going to be a Yankees,” Phillips, a former GM for the New York Mets, said before laying out his rationale.
“I think that (Yankees first baseman Paul) Goldschmidt will be out after the year, (Mets slugger Pete) Alonso won’t opt out and Vladdy’s going to be a Yankee.”
“They’re going to give him short of Soto money and, in the end, they’ll have Vladdy and Judge in the middle of the lineup instead of Soto and Judge and they’ll end up having spent less money and they’ll end up being a great team moving forward.
“They’ll be the best of the American League for years. So, I think Vladdy’s a Yankee.”
As noted by a Yankees fan account on social media, Guerrero liked an Instagram post showing himself in a Yankees uniform with Phillips’ report in the caption.
During last season, as speculation over his contract talks with the Blue Jays were heating up, Guerrero walked back an earlier statement that he would never play for the Bronx Bombers, even if he was “dead.”
Speaking with Spanish outlet Virus Deportivo last May, Vladdy changed his tune about potentially donning pinstripes.
“I’m a worker. I’m a professional,” Guerrero said when asked if he’d play for the Yankees. “I go out on the field to play.”
He also walked back his previous comments about the Jays’ AL East rivals.
“I’m a player that the (Yankees), that they need me with, or if they do something, it’s because they need me, obviously. I’ll be happy to help any team.”