Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Says $500M Was for What He Already Did | Judge Could Miss Wild Card, Rays Clinch AL East, Ohtani Returns, Mets Keep Andy Green & Red Sox Commit to Chad Tracy | 186

Episode 186 of Tablesetters is LIVE!

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s brutal 2026 season is becoming one of the biggest stories in baseball, especially with the first year of his $500 million extension going this badly. The Blue Jays are on the verge of elimination, Guerrero’s production has fallen off dramatically and his recent comments about the contract and fan support have only added another layer to what has already been a massively disappointing year in Toronto.

We get into the numbers behind Vlad’s collapse, including his 92 OPS+, nine home runs, .359 slugging percentage and 1.3 WAR after posting 4.6 WAR last season. Coming into 2026, Guerrero owned a career OPS+ of 136, so this has not been a minor step backward. Toronto committed to him through 2039 expecting him to remain one of the pillars of the franchise, and right now he is not producing anywhere close to that level.

His recent comments make the situation even more interesting. Guerrero said he views the contract as being based on what he had already accomplished rather than necessarily what he will do going forward, while also referring to the people still supporting him through the struggles as his “real fans.” We get into why those comments are going to rub people the wrong way when they are coming from a player with this kind of financial commitment attached to him and this kind of production on the field.

Elsewhere, the Tampa Bay Rays are officially AL East champions and have secured the No. 1 seed in the American League. After everything Tampa Bay has gone through over the last two seasons, this might be one of the more impressive years the organization has put together. We get into Drew Rasmussen’s huge performance in the clincher, Yandy Díaz continuing to deliver and why this Rays team deserves plenty of attention heading into October.

The Yankees have a much different problem. Aaron Judge’s latest injury could keep him out of the Wild Card Series, leaving New York with another massive question at the worst possible time. The Yankees have survived without Judge for long stretches already, but surviving a three-game postseason series without him is an entirely different conversation.

We also get into the MLB playoff picture with the final weekend almost here. There are still American League division races that could come down to the wire, multiple National League teams trying to officially punch their tickets and some potentially incredible Wild Card matchups starting to appear. Yankees-Red Sox in a best-of-three? Yeah, sign us up.

Shohei Ohtani is also returning to the Dodgers lineup just in time for October, and Los Angeles suddenly has several important pieces getting healthy at once. We break down what Ohtani’s return means, the other reinforcements arriving around him and some interesting roster and lineup decisions the Dodgers have to make before the postseason begins.

What’s the Word? returns with three different statements. Did Boston see enough from Chad Tracy to remove the interim tag and commit to both him and Craig Breslow long term? Are the Mets making the right move by sticking with Andy Green after a massively disappointing season? And just how concerned should Toronto be about what has happened to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the first year of his $500 million extension?

Plus, we’re Coming Around 3rd with everything we’re watching during the final weekend of the regular season. Division races, Wild Card scenarios, huge pitching matchups, scoreboard watching and a loaded Sunday afternoon where almost everything will be happening at once. By the time the dust settles, we should finally know exactly what October baseball is going to look like.

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