Kennedy: Guerrero Jr. should borrow a page from Musial
Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Montreal, Que.) could borrow a page from St. Louis Cardinals legend Stan Musial, suggests writer Patrick Kennedy.
October 3, 2026
By Patrick Kennedy
Canadian Baseball Network
What a difference a year makes.
Take the fortunes of Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for example.
Poor Vladdy. Around this time last year he was the Toast of Toronto, the player who almost single handedly put the boot to the Seattle Mariners in the American League pennant-clinching saw-off. He earned series MVP laurels, then led his Blue Jays to within a planted cleat-mark of a World Series title.
You'll recall that if Los Angeles Dodger catcher Will Smith's right foot had been a split-second late in re-touching the plate on a bottom-of-the-ninth force play at home – Smith had briefly lifted his foot off the plate while stretching for second baseman Miguel Rojas' throw – the Jays would've won their third World Series in the most excruciatingly exciting fashion in the best Game 7 in baseball history. Guerrero, as well, would likely have added World Series MVP kudos to his post-season resume. Instead, well, we all know how it all turned out.
Guerrero blasted eight home runs during his spectacular 2025 playoff run. That was more four-baggers than any other Blue Jay had ever hit over their entire Jays playoff careers. He knocked in 15 runs (in 18 games), batted a hair under .400, and posted a staggering 1.289 OPS. Indeed he was the Hero of Hogtown, a deserving recipient of the lavish 14-year, $500-million (U.S.) contract that he'd signed early in the 2025 campaign.
On the heels of that phenomenal playoff, no one could've predicted the dispiriting 2026 season. Production-wise, Guerrero, the team's franchise player, rode the express elevator from top to bottom, from “the penthouse to the outhouse,” as the saying goes. Over the course of the season – and particularly near the end – he went from hero to zero in the eyes of the harshest Jays fans and even fostered doubt in the minds of many MLB pundits. He batted a respectable .263 but “slugged” a sluggish .360. He drove in only 57 runs and, most telling of all, hit just nine home runs, only one of them in his home playpen, the Rogers Centre. All were career lows for a full 162-game season.
Vladdy's woes at the plate (and far too often in the field for a Gold Glove first baseman) was viewed as a pivotal reason for the club's lost season.
Recently, he unintentionally added fuel to a growing fire of fans' discontent. In a Spanish-language interview with Dominican broadcaster Verónica Batista shortly before the Jays were mathematically ousted from playoff contention, Guerrero commented that players such as him are “paid for what they’ve already done . . . not what they will do.” The remark took flight on social media and ignited a firestorm of controversy.
The question now is: How does Guerrero fix things? How does he right a wrong and restore at least a portion of the fans' teetering faith in him?
Of course the easiest and best way is for him to tear the cover off the ball next year, post career-best numbers and power the Jays to a playoff berth. Fans have notoriously short memories if they're given ample reason to forgive and forget.
In the meantime, here's another way: Perhaps Vladdy could borrow a page from the great St. Louis Cardinal Stan Musial's “mea culpa” guidebook. In his way of saying “sorry” he could ask – better yet demand – that his $40-million annual salary be slashed. If, for instance, his 2026 statistics were down on average, say, 20 percent, Guerrero could ask his yearly pay cheque be trimmed accordingly – which would mean an $8-million clawback. Then, as unfathomable and difficult as it sounds, the 27-year-old slugger would need to get by on just $32 million per year.
The requested deduction is a novel idea, although not a unique one. Which brings us to Musial.
To baseball aficionados, “Stan the Man” needs no introduction. In a splendid 22-season career with the St. Louis Cardinals, Musial hit .331 with 475 home runs and 1,951 RBIs. His 3,650 hits sit fourth on the all-time list, an even split of 1,815 at home, 1,815 on the road. He won seven batting titles and ranks Top-5 all-time in doubles, runs, extra-base hits and total bases. He led the Redbirds to three World Series championships. Remember Guerrero's .360 slugging percentage in 2026? Musial's career average was .559. Yeah, Stan could play a bit.
In 1959, after a disappointing season late in his career, Musial, then 39, asked for and received a $20,000 cut from his $100,000 annual salary, which at the time was the National League's lone six-figure player contract. The Cardinals icon was dismayed over the fact that he batted just .255 in what was his 18th big-league campaign, even though it marked the first time his season average had dipped below .300. Musial, a principled, clean-living, widely admired player, told The Sporting News, “The Cardinals have been generous to me the past few years, so I thought I'd be kind to them.”
If Stan made such a statement in today's era of greed and grandiose tastes, his agent – he never had one, folks – would have him gagged and quietly whisked off for a psychiatric assessment.
As for Vladdy's $8-million pay cut, the player could give the money back to the club owners, who of course would then turn it down only at gunpoint. Or he could donate it to charity. He could build a few homeless shelters. He could give it to the Good Sisters of the Infield Fly Rule, for all I care. Mind you, he'd likely take plenty of flak from teammates and the players' union, but his legion of fans would salute the gesture as an apology from a humbled superstar. Odds are Vladdy'd be back in their lovin' arms in no time – or at least until the 2027 season got underway.
Or he could do this: He could bet the whole $8 million. Go double-or-nothing with ownership based on future production. Why not? We live in an era perverse with gambling, anyway. A-list celebrities and athletes shill without compunction. Such a wager would fit right in and even find favour with today's sports gamblers, who can probably place a bet on how many times in one plate appearance a batter tugs at his crotch. So why not indeed? Double down, Vladdy.
One final note on the incomparable Musial. Stan the Man bounced back from that off-year. In his penultimate MLB season, the 41-year-old batted .330, with 19 home runs and 82 RBIs. Unlike Vladdy, Musial didn't have to win back any fans; none had ever left him.
Patrick Kennedy is a retired Whig-Standard staff writer whose big freelance contract is based on what he did in the past. He can be reached at pjckennedy35@gmail.com