North Shore Nine

The Blue Jays swear they are not dealing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as they want to make a run with him and Bo Bichette. However, they are 14 games out of the division and 9.5 out of the Wild Card. They are not making the playoffs this year and with the teams ahead of them it might be a tough task even next year. The Pirates on the other hand are looking to add a bat, and are only 1.5 out of the Wild Card and 6.5 out of the division. With one of the most exciting rotations in baseball, one that would be deadly in the post season, it is time to strike.
Guerrero is having another good year, after a bit of a down year last year. He just made his 4th straight All-Start game and is currently hitting .288/.359/.456 with a .815 OPS. In addition, he has hit 14 home runs, 20 doubles with a 2.1 WAR and a 133 wRC+. To place that level of bat, with those numbers, behind Bryan Reynolds and in front of Nick Gonzles would make the lineup deadly and very dangerous to opposing pitchers. The issue of course comes down to if the Jay’s remain adamant they are not selling, and if they do sell, if the Pirates are willing to pay up for Guerrero.
It was rumored at one point that Guerrero if dealt would be for a Juan Soto plus package. Now one would assume the original Juan Soto package and not the most recent but the rumor was not that specific. If it was the original then no team will be knocking even if the light is turned on outside. However, if it is the more recent deal to the Yankees then there might be a number of suitors. When trying to break down what the Padres received for Soto might be tough value wise as they also send OF Trent Grisham along in the trade. If one were to cross off Grisham along with the 34 year old back up catcher Kyel Higashioka the Yankees sent then the return for Soto would be Drew Thorpe (55), Randy Vasques (45), Jhony Brito (40) and Michael King. Now it will be noted that the ages of the guys going back are a bit older at 23, 25, 26 and 28 respectively. Also, this was for one year of Soto whereas Guerrero would be this year and next. Though it should also be in the equation that Soto is a better player than Guerrero, which is not a knock on Vlad. So even for the Pirates to meet the more recent Soto deal it would be something along the lines of Harrington/Ashcraft, Burrows, Reilly/Curtis and maybe a Mlodzinski/Stratton type if not another prospect. However, the Jays may want a Chandler or Solometo type instead and it is unlikely the Pirates trade Chandler at this point, though that could be an assumption.
Regardless, if the Pirates could acquire Guerrero without giving up Chandler then they should absolutely do so. This type of addition would put them in serious contention for a playoff spot if not the division. It would flood the ball park with fans, and it would show a commitment to winning the fans have not seen in over a decade. Consider the fan fair already surrounding the team both locally and nationally, its time to roll the dice and give the City the winning team it so richly deseves.