Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Walks Back Comments About Never Playing for Yankees

Patrick Andres | Jun 25, 2024

Jun 21, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) celebrates his solo home run in the fourth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s attitude toward the New York Yankees can be viewed as a tale of three seasons.

2022: The Blue Jays go 92–70, their best record since '15, and make the playoffs. Guerrero said in an interview he "would never sign with the [New York] Yankees, not even [when I'm] dead."

2023: Toronto slips a bit but still make the playoffs with an 89–73 ledger. Guerrero calls his antipathy toward the Yankees "a personal thing."

2024: Guerrero, now the face of a rapidly fading 35–43 team, is suddenly willing to ply his trade for New York.

"It is not that I am trying to take back what I said about the Yankees," Guerrero told Virus Deportivo Monday. "But this is a business. I sat down and spoke with my dad and my family, and this is a business. And I said I would never again talk about this topic and lots of people have asked me about it."

If I get trade to #Yankees I will do my job and try to help that team or any team to win. I’m a professional and love this game #VladimirGuerreroJr told Omar from Virus Deportivo pic.twitter.com/5rQ5a6APzr

— Mike Rodriguez (@mikedeportes) June 25, 2024

Despite very tentative trade rumblings surrounding him, the three-time All-Star emphasized that he is focused on the task at hand: winning with the Blue Jays.

"I'm a player and if a team picks me or if they do something, it's because they need it, obviously, and I'll be happy to help any team," Guerrero said. "But right now, I'm just focused on helping my team try to get out of this bad streak."

Toronto's 2–8 record over its last 10 games is the worst in baseball, and it has dropped its last seven.