After Vladimir Guerrero Jr. signing, what's next for Bo Bichette and rising rookies?

Over the past few weeks, the Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres have secured their young rising stars to team-friendly long-term deals.

The Red Sox re-signed Garret Crochet for six years, $170 million, Kristian Campbell for eight years, $60 million, and the Padres followed suit by handing Jackson Merrill a nine-year, $135 million contract.

Can the Toronto Blue Jays do the same after signing Vladimir Guerrero Jr.?

The Blue Jays will likely lose Bo Bichette to free agency after the season. They do not have the space to freely spend another $100-200 million, which the two-time All-Star will seek. It is worth keeping in mind Guerrero Jr. and Bichette have said they want to continue playing with each other, though Guerrero's $500 million pact will make that much tougher to accomplish.

The Blue Jays are currently $26.8 million over the Competitive Balance Tax Space, and because this is a repeated season over the tax, they accrue a penalty worth $10 million. Guerrero Jr.'s deal included no deferred money, which does not help the Blue Jays get under the Tax Space in the future.

There are already replacement options in place for if/when Bichette leaves. The trade for Andrés Giménez may have been made in preparation for Bichette's departure. Giménez has won three straight Gold Glove Awards at second base in 2022, 2023, and 2024, and won a Platinum Glove Award for being the best defensive player in the American League in 2023.

It isn't difficult to believe that he could pull off the transition to shortstop. The team also has Will Wagner on the 26-man roster, as well as prospects Addison Barger and Orelvis Martinez who could make starts at shortstop.

Can the Blue Jays sign star rookies to long-term deals?

Starting their rookie seasons strong, Wagner and Alan Roden are showing they can handle the big league. Both have 27 at-bats at the time of Guerrero's extension, with Wagner slashing .292/.346/.375 with a 108 wRC+ and Roden slashing .318/.407/.409 with a 136 wRC+.

Both players are deserving of comparable deals to the ones Campbell and Merrill received — at least in terms of length, though the money wouldn't be as much given they aren't quite as high-profile in the prospecting world —  but with the team's lack of funds, it may be a year or two before the team has a path to reasonably extending them, especially since there are bigger stars' contracts that may need to be addressed first.

Chris Bassitt, Chad Green, Jacob Barnes, Max Scherzer, and Erik Swanson join Bichette as free agents after this season, and George Springer, Kevin Gausman, Yimi Garcia, and Daulton Varsho become free agents after next season.

It would benefit the Blue Jays' front office to get Wagner and Roden under contract sooner rather than later, as the contracts would be cheaper and more team-friendly with their pre-arb and arbitration years still on the horizon.

The Bichette negotiations are now Toronto's top priority, though don't be surprised if the team tries to keep its extension momentum rolling with a few smaller deals in the meantime.

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