The Vlad Factor

The biggest news of the Blue Jays week, of course, was the monstrous 14-year extension offered up to Vlad Guerrero Jr. In addition to outlining the dollar details, Mal and Griff explain the possible ripple effect of the third-largest total value contract in MLB history and what having Vlad, the face of the franchise, on board through 2039 could mean for Bo Bichette, to Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins, for attendance at Rogers Centre and the trickle-down benefitting future free agents like Kyle Tucker. Should the Jays trade Bo if they think they can't afford both young stars. What about the Jays rotation and the improved length they are giving, compared to a year ago. Is Easton Lucas this year's Bowden Francis and who are the Top 5 homegrown Blue Jays starting pitchers, signed and developed since 2000. Plus, another week in which EP offers apologies to backup catcher Tyler Heineman, who has started the season like an all-star. INDEX 0:00 Intro 0:31 Jackie Robinson Day and Clemente disrespect 4:00 Vlad tribute to victims of the DR disaster 9:22 Vlad's Contract and its ripple effect 12:34 What about Bo Bichette 17:10 Vlad deal impact on Mark and Ross 20:34 Does Vlad make Jays destination of choice 22:41 The Stadium renos and no roster rebuild 26:59 Vlad's contract details 34:30 Rotation impact without Scherzer 38:33 Internal surprises Roden and Lucas 41:37 Top 5 List Jays homegrown starters 1:00:41 Varsho update Heineman apology ---- Get the video version of "Exit Philosophy" and "Conversations with Griff" on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ExitPhilosophy ---- For the full catalogue of Richard Griffin's work, including weekly Blue Jays/MLB columns, a weekly MLB Power Rankings column, exclusive conversations with some of the game's greats, past and present, and the Exit Philosophy podcast, visit https://www.griffsthepitch.com/