Can the Blue Jays remain in first place without Vlad Guerrero Jr. at his best?

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When you are the $500-million man and thus the richest player in franchise history, it comes with a price.

Or so it seems, anyway, with one of the only players on the current Blue Jays roster who is underperforming on expectations.

In the case of Blue Jays all-star first baseman Vlad Guerrero Jr., the barking has picked up even in the midst of one of the team’s most meaningful hot streaks in a decade.

When the team’s 10-game winning streak came sputtering to a halt on Wednesday with a 2-1 loss to the White Sox on Chicago’s South Side in one of the team’s sloppier efforts in weeks, Guerrero instantly became the flashpoint for the modest failure.

Some ugliness on the bases, an 0-for-4 afternoon at the plate — even as Blue Jays marketers pumped up the fact that his next hit would be his 1,000th with the Jays — plus some clear frustration from him and, once again, Guerrero’s impact is being questioned.

The Jays returned to their winning ways on Friday in Sacramento with a 7-6 win over the Athletics, a game in which Guerrero in fact reached that milestone, becoming just the 10th Blue Jays hitter (and youngest) to reach the 1,000 hit mark.

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Still, there are the struggles and some of the questions surrounding Guerrero’s production are rooted in fact: Guerrero continues to lag in terms of impact as the power hitter that resolutely drives the offence and, as such, is on pace for his lowest home run output in his seven big league seasons.

Some of it is rooted in selective criticism as well, ignoring the fact that Guerrero still is an elite hitter who is treated as such by opposing pitchers and, by MLB standards, is doing just fine.

And yes, some of the criticism fired Guerrero’s way is over the top.

But when a $500-million US extension was gifted him from the bottomless pit of owner Rogers Communications back in April, the baseball benevolence was always supposed to buy more than that.

Guerrero knows it, too.

Since he was a teenager blitzing his way up the Jays organizational depth chart, he expected better of himself. The pressure is heaped considerably higher now, which always is going to be the way when a team has so much invested in one player, both in contract and marketing initiatives.

Is Guerrero feeling that pressure, even as his team soars? Is he pressing to return to his designated spot as “the man” on a team that is suddenly in first place? Many days it appears so.

Thus far in July (prior to Friday), he is just 7 for 32 at the plate, leading to a .219 batting average and .342 on base percentage — easily Guerrero’s worst month this season in those categories a third of the way through.

Sure, he’s hitting the ball hard, but with just one homer in his past 13 games and 12 on the season (which has him in a four-way tie for second among Jays and four behind resurgent team leader George Springer) he’s easily headed for his lowest long ball total as a Jays.

None of this is to suggest that Guerrero isn’t an elite player, a star in his sport and one of the most popular athletes in the country. He is about to become a five-time all-star, headed to Atlanta next week, though it could be argued that is more as a result of the popular vote than performance thus far in 2025.

Always a fan favourite, the one-time Home Run Derby winner (and once a runner-up) and MVP at the Midsummer Classic in 2021 is a natural in the spotlight of that show.

In Toronto, he’s expected to be more superstar than showman though, especially now that he’s being paid as such.

There has been plenty to feel good about with this Jays team with the steady stream of uplifting contributions from players such as Addison Barger, Ernie Clement, Nathan Lukes, Davis Schneider and more.

It is those dudes and an overall resilience and positive mindset in the clubhouse (which by all accounts Guerrero is a big part of) that has guided the Jays through the past six weeks of riveting play.

It hasn’t quite happened in spite of Guerrero — he has been a regular contributor — but given the sky-high expectations (both from past performance and future earnings), it sometimes feels that way.

The glass-half-full take for the 55-39 Jays, is that they’re in first place, a well-earned spot for a team playing with renewed poise and commitment.

But Blue Jays fans and teammates surely must know that doing so without the best of Vlad has merely been the tease.

If and when they get the superstar version of Guerrero, the early returns on that $500-million payday could take the team to a special place much greater than leading the division at the all-star break.