Massive extension shakes things up for the Marlins

It's early to think about next off-season, but I was already looking at potential targets for the Miami Marlins. It now looks like the off-season market may be missing a major name. This could create more demand for other free agents, thus making it less likely for the Marlins. I'm specifically talking about a major extension that took place last night. I always look at how The Fish could improve, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was never going to be a target.

The Miami Marlins are affected in an interesting way by Vlad's extension.

Now let's get something out of the way, the Miami Marlins were never going to be signing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in free agency. Vlad was supposed to be one of the top free agents on the market at the end of this season, and The Fish were not going to be part of that market. The New York Mets on the other hand....

I fully expected the Mets to be one of the frontrunners for Vlad in the off-season. They would certainly have loved to add another big bat to the team's lineup. Pete Alonso can opt-out after the season, and Vlad would've been an upgrade. They also could've had one of them at DH and the other at first base.

As it stands, the Mets will have one less big bat that they can pursue. This is of course great news for The Fish. On the flip side, this means that less in demand free agents will now potentially see a bigger market for their services. This is of course not ideal for The Fish and is something to be concerned about.

As far as the extension itself, it's for 14 years and $500 million. I don't see Vlad as being worth anywhere near that. He's a first baseman who isn't even an elite bat. He's very good, but he's not an annual MVP contender or a threat to lead the Majors in any category. I see it as a bad move for Toronto, but a great one for Vlad, though he could've went to a better team or potentially received even more money in the off-season.