The Toronto Blue Jays dropped their second straight game against the New York Yankees Tuesday. Toronto rallied in the ninth inning, but the comeback came up one run short in a 5-4 loss.
Toronto has not had the season anyone anticipated. After losing the World Series, the front office went all in this past offseason. It spent heavily in free agency to build a deeper, more complete roster around Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Nearly two months into the regular season, the Blue Jays are six games under .500, and the calls for more moves have begun.
“Vlady Jr. can’t do it alone. He’s missing some key guys, and the team needs to move quickly, either get healthy or bring in some help,” wrote MLB legend Pedro Martinez after the game on X.
Martinez remains one of the most respected figures in baseball. He spent 18 seasons in the big leagues, earned a spot in the Hall of Fame and finished his career in the 3,000-strikeout club.
Since retiring in 2009, he has stayed involved as a studio analyst, regularly offering opinions about the state of the game.
Martinez spent his prime years with the Boston Red Sox, who share the league’s most storied rivalry with the Yankees, and he still roots against New York long after his playing days.
He supported Guerrero during last year’s postseason run when Toronto eliminated the Yankees in the AL Division Series. He also supports Guerrero because he was teammates with his father, Vladimir Guerrero Sr., on the Montreal Expos, and both are from the Dominican Republic. Guerrero played for the Dominican Republic in this year’s World Baseball Classic.
© Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
That likely explains why Martinez is advocating for the Blue Jays to make moves. The reality, though, is Guerrero is also not living up to expectations. In May, he is batting .153 with a .250 on-base percentage and .453 OPS.
It is a small sample, but for a player signed to a 14-year, $500 million contract to be the face of the franchise, it starts with him. Toronto has plenty of players sidelined, including multiple starters, and both Alejandro Kirk and Addison Barger remain out.
They need to get healthy, but bringing in new players, as Martinez suggested, may not matter much if Guerrero continues to slump. Toronto seeks to win the third game of the four-game series Wednesday night.
