Blue Jays committed to Vlad Jr. at 3B, but want him in 'better condition'

The Toronto Blue Jays are committed to keeping 20-year-old Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at third base next season, but the team wants him in "overall better condition," general manager Ross Atkins said Tuesday, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.

Although the team's concern isn't entirely about Guerrero's weight, the organization hopes the youngster will weigh "significantly less than what he reported at last year," Atkins added.

While the Blue Jays and Guerrero have a plan for his winter work, the team wants him to spend more time at its facility with its training staff to prepare for next season.

"The more time he's with us, the better," Atkins said.

Guerrero was listed at 250 pounds during the regular season. He wants to see that number drop by 15-to-20 pounds before the beginning of spring training.

"I think that's the key for me to have a great year next year," Guerrero said in September, according to TSN's Scott Mitchell. "I feel good the way I am right now, but I'm going to try to come back a lot better. Maybe try to be 15 or 20 pounds less for spring training and I will take it from there after that."

As for how he plans to cut the weight, Guerrero would like to combine his regular offseason regime in the Dominican Republic with workouts with the team.

"I'm going to go back to the Dominican and work out with my family," Guerrero added. "We do that every offseason, and then maybe I'll go back to Tampa for a month to work out with the team."

During his rookie campaign, the former top prospect hit .272/.339/.433 with 15 home runs, 26 doubles, and 69 RBIs. Defensively, Guerrero's 17 errors at third base were tied for the second-most in the American League behind Rafael Devers of the Boston Red Sox.