Potential Phillies Superstar Free Agent Target Inks Huge Extension with AL Team

The Philadelphia Phillies will not get the chance to bid on a potential major free agent next winter.

Mar 31, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) celebrates hitting a double against the Washington Nationals during the second inning at Rogers Centre. | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies are not going to get their chance to bid on a young superstar who was expected to be the top free agent on the market next winter.

As first reported by ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a massive contract extension with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. that will pay him $500 million over the next 14 years.

The deal is the third-largest in MLB history behind Juan Soto's contract with the New York Mets and Shohei Ohtani's megadeal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Dave Dombrowski has never been afraid to make a large contract offer when a superstar is available. After seemingly sitting out the Soto sweepstakes this winter, however, the thought that the Phillies could be gearing up to make a huge offer next winter for Guerrero Jr. made a ton of sense.

With designated hitter Kyle Schwarber set to hit the open market next offseason as well, upgrading to Guerrero Jr. and either moving him or Bryce Harper to the DH role in Schwarber's place could have worked for Philadelphia.

Credible reporting this offseason indicated the Phillies had at least investigated the possibility of signing rival Mets first baseman Pete Alonso before he re-signed in Queens, so clearly the idea of adding another power bat was intriguing to Philadelphia's front office.

From the Phillies' perspective, having Guerrero Jr. remain with Toronto is probably the second-best-case scenario for them rather than him signing with the New York Yankees or, even worse, the Mets or Dodgers.

Since entering the league in 2019, Guerrero Jr. has been one of the most feared power hitters in baseball. Over the course of his career, he has slashed .287/.362/.498 with 160 home runs and 511 RBI.

A four-time All-Star and perennial MVP candidate, the 26-year-old slugger is the definition of a superstar.

While he could have been an absolutely dynamite addition to Philadelphia's already star-studded lineup, there are still other big names for Dombrowski to pursue next winter.

After trying unsuccessfully to trade for Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros, the Phillies could get another shot at him this offseason if the Chicago Cubs fail to extend him.

The idea of re-signing Schwarber -- depending on the results of this season -- could surface as a potential way to keep power within the lineup as well.

While losing out on the chance to bid on Guerrero Jr. stings a bit, Philadelphia has plenty of time to pivot and go in a different direction next winter.