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TORONTO, ONTARIO – NOVEMBER 01: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 of the Toronto Blue Jays looks on prior to game seven of the 2025 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Rogers Center on November 01, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. isn’t dwelling on last October.

After the Toronto Blue Jays’ heartbreaking Game 7 World Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the franchise cornerstone made it clear he turned the page the moment he left the dugout that night.

Now, as spring training opens in Dunedin, Guerrero is sending a confident message about what comes next:

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (via interpreter):

“We acquired new players, great players. I think this is going to be more fun. I’m actually happier than last year. For whatever reason, I’m happier and feeling great. I have good feelings about this year.” #BlueJays

“I have good feelings about this year.”

Those seven words captured the tone around Blue Jays camp on Monday.

Speaking through interpreter Hector Lebron, Guerrero expanded on that optimism, pointing to the organization’s aggressive offseason and the energy he feels around the clubhouse.

“We acquired new players, great players,” Guerrero said.

“I think this is going to be more fun. I’m actually happier than last year. For whatever reason, I’m happier and feeling great. I have good feelings about this year.”

The 26-year-old slugger said he processed the World Series loss by sitting alone in the dugout at Rogers Centre after the final out.

“When I left, I felt like I had faced reality, and the only thing I had left to say to myself was just thank God for the year I had, for the year the team had,” Guerrero said.

“Right then, I just turned the page.”

That mindset appears to be carrying into 2026.

Blue Jays Reload After World Series Run

Toronto wasted little time reinforcing a roster that came within two outs of winning the World Series.

The Blue Jays signed right-hander Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210 million contract, added Japanese infielder Kazuma Okamoto and strengthened the bullpen with additional depth pieces.

However, they lost Bo Bichette.

Despite losing Bichette to the New York Mets in free agency, the front office doubled down on its contention window, a window now anchored by Guerrero’s 14-year, $500 million extension signed last April.

“I think we’re very capable,” Guerrero said. “I think it’s going to be more fun, and I’m actually more happy than last year.”

Manager John Schneider echoed that approach.

“We’re not defending anything,” Schneider said. “You’re trying to win the division, you’re trying to win the World Series. That’s it.”

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Embraces Role as Face of Blue Jays

With Bichette gone, Guerrero is now the longest-tenured player in Toronto’s clubhouse and the clear face of the franchise.

Still, he downplayed any formal leadership label.

“I don’t see myself as a leader,” Guerrero said.

“I always put myself as a good teammate, and when you are a good teammate, then you become a good leader. I’m a good teammate.”

After a postseason in which he hit .397 with eight home runs and won ALCS MVP honors, Guerrero enters 2026 with major momentum.

For a team still feeling the sting of falling one win short, that belief may be just as important as any free-agent addition.

And as Guerrero made clear at camp, he isn’t looking backward. He’s focused on redemption.

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