BA's James Anderson isn't buying a full Vladimir Guerrero Jr. rebound. The Blue Jays first baseman is coming off the worst season of his career.

“I don't think he'll ever be treated like a top-20 fantasy player ever again,” Anderson said. That's a blunt verdict on one of the game's most decorated young hitters.

The 2026 numbers explain the skepticism. He hit .260 with just nine homers and a .688 OPS over 144 games.

His 95 wRC+ was a career low. He also drew 56 walks, his fewest in a full season since his 2019 rookie year.

The quality of contact cratered. His sweet-spot rate fell to the 4th percentile after sliding for two straight years.

Is Anderson right? The trend says he has a point.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s offseason plan is built to prove the doubters wrong

Guerrero isn't sitting still. He underwent laser eye surgery after the season and will work with his father, Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero Sr., and his uncle Wilton in the Dominican.

Joey Votto believes the fix is timing. He said the slugger needs “less body” in his swing and should “just watch your dad.”

Ross Atkins has said he's “very confident he will be back.” He's also only 27.

It's easy to forget how recently he dominated. He hit a franchise-record eight home runs in the 2025 postseason.

Anderson is too quick to close the book. A 27-year-old who set a franchise postseason record a year ago doesn't simply disappear, especially with this much work planned for the winter.

Writing him off now is like dumping a stock after one bad year from a company that just broke records. The dip is real, but the fundamentals haven't vanished.

That said, the clock is ticking. He's in year two of a $500 million deal that runs through 2039, and Toronto needs the old Vladdy back now.

If he rebounds, Anderson's quote becomes bulletin-board material. If he doesn't, it'll look like the most honest assessment of the winter.