Vladimir Guerrero Sr. is stepping in to help his son this winter. The Hall of Famer says he'll work more with the Blue Jays slugger in the Dominican Republic.

“We are now going to work more with him, my son, in the Dominican,” Guerrero Sr. said in a translated interview with Dominican reporter Mike Rodriguez. “I believe that is what you try to do.”

The timing fits. Joey Votto recently told Guerrero Jr. to “just watch your dad,” calling his father “textbook for what kind of hitter you should be.”

Now he'll get more than video. He'll get the source himself.

The need is obvious. In the first year of his 14-year, $500 million extension, Guerrero Jr. posted a .688 OPS over 144 games.

His 95 wRC+ was the lowest of his eight-year career, according to The Athletic's Johnny Flores Jr.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s offseason now includes his dad and new eyes

He's already made one change. He underwent laser eye surgery after the season, though it's unclear how much his vision contributed to the slump.

Votto's diagnosis pointed elsewhere, to timing. He compared the slugger to a driver creeping through a stop sign at 100 miles per hour, with his body getting in the way of the barrel.

Who better to fix that than the man whose swing Votto called the blueprint?

This is the most encouraging Vladdy news of the winter. Eye surgery is a box to check, but a Hall of Fame hitter working daily with his son on timing is an actual plan.

It's like a chef going back to his mother's kitchen to relearn the family recipe. The ingredients never left, he just needs to remember the order.

There's no guarantee. Neither the surgery nor the extra work promises a rebound.

But the stakes couldn't be higher. Toronto's path back to contention runs straight through its franchise first baseman.

Ross Atkins has said he's “very confident he will be back.” With his father in his corner, Guerrero Jr. has every resource he needs, and now he has to deliver in 2027.