What would the Blue Jays want from the NY Mets in a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. trade?

The New York Mets checking in on Vladimir Guerrero Jr. amidst their attempts to re-sign Pete Alonso had fans going down a dirt road on Wednesday toward, well, not much. All of the most credible insiders still insist a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays is a fantasy. It would be a huge swerve and for a front office that has lost a lot of faith from the fans, a good way to pack the stadium with empty arctic air in 2025. The latest on a return for Alonso doesn't look promising, paving the way toward more daydreaming about a blockbuster deal for Vladdy.

Mets fans all have their own thoughts on what it would take to pry Guerrero away from the Blue Jays. Have we considered what they want?

I reached out to Michael Fisher of Jays Journal to try to get some insight into his thoughts as to what the exchange rate for their star first baseman would be. Knowing any trade package I could put together would have bias, some help from our friendly neighbors up north might give a better idea of what the Blue Jays could be expecting.

What would it cost the Mets to land Vladimir Guerrero Jr.?

Admitting he knows as much about the Mets farm system as I do the farmhands on the Blue Jays (zilch), Fisher had this information to share without naming any specific names:

“I'd imagine a package of at least 4 top prospects and maybe an MLB-ready player (or two).”

Okay, we have a baseline. MLB-ready is debatable. Does Ronny Mauricio, Brett Baty, or Luisangel Acuna fit this bill? Any of those three would be trade options. The trouble with each is they all enter this coming year with a single minor league option remaining. Tylor Megill is another guy, just to throw it out there, who’d qualify although he’d probably be better matched to fit the “or two” part of the trade idea.

Fisher did add the Blue Jays might need a new shortstop soon. Bo Bichette possibly out the door soon enough, this is a promising detail of any Mets-Blue Jays trade package. The Mets have more than enough shortstops in the farm system. And with Francisco Lindor blocking everyone at the position, it makes them more expendable.

Revealing he doesn’t have much faith in the front office, Fisher at least left open some optimism of the cost being an unsatisfying one in the eyes of Blue Jays fans. Frankly, unless it’s a massively one-sided trade favoring one team, there are going to be detractors.

Based on what I learned from this Blue Jays fan, the package should begin with Mauricio or Acuna to fill out the MLB-ready shortstop profile. Megill can get added to be a similar role-player on their roster to add some starting pitching depth. He’s incredibly useful for the Mets. The trade needs to sting at all levels.

It’s those final two additions where the big debate can happen. A sales pitch of Jett Williams to be another shortstop option makes sense. Jonah Tong, a native of Canada, would probably interest them for more than his birthplace. Would both possibly need to be included?

Guerrero is a great player and the Blue Jays shouldn’t sell him on a low. However, one season of control shouldn’t have them expecting a package on the level of Warren Moon. The Kyle Tucker trade between the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs is a good basis for the kind of return they should look to get. Hayden Wesneski is kind of like Megill. Cam Smith is Williams. What’s lacking is an Isaac Paredes. It increases the level of prospect the Mets would have to give up which might be why a final answer includes something like Williams, Tong, Acuna, and Megill (or a lower level prospect if they prefer).