Vladimir Guerrero Jr. extension deadline nearing for Toronto Blue Jays

Guerrero, entering the final year of his contract with the Blue Jays, would likely be the biggest name available if he were to become a free agent in the fall.

Bo Bichette and George Springer sat in a corner of the Blue Jays’ locker room on Monday, catching up on things as they prepared for morning workouts at the team’s player development complex.

The stall between them, normally occupied by teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr., remained vacant, save for a few uniforms, hoodies, warm-up pants and three plastic-wrapped baseball gloves.

Normally a presence in the clubhouse well before reporting day for position players, Guerrero is instead working out at a private gym in nearby Tampa as the hours ticked down on his player-set deadline for contract extension talks.

Guerrero, entering the final year of his contract with the Blue Jays, was expected to arrive at camp later in the day for his physical. Position players have until Tuesday to formally report.

Guerrero has said that if extension talks between his agent and the team do not result in a deal by then, he will not continue negotiations.

The 25-year-old first baseman would likely be the biggest name available if he were to become a free agent in the fall.

Guerrero posted a photo of his gym’s workout area on his verified Instagram Stories feed on Monday, complete with a clock emoji.

The pressure is squarely on a Blue Jays’ front office that must balance trying to lock down the services of a homegrown face of the franchise with its spending comfort level on deal that would easily be the biggest in franchise history.