The Blue Jays’ front-facing upgrades will, understandably, garner most of the attention during spring training. But the team also made a series of behind-the-scenes changes that will have a major bearing on the franchise’s medium-to-long-term trajectory.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the homegrown face of the Toronto Blue Jays, is set to become a free agent this fall unless he signs a contract extension. Other question marks hover over the team, which opened spring training on Thursday in Florida.

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The Blue Jays are just 11 days away from their first spring training contest, when they take on the New York Yankees on February 22.

The 25-year-old star has said he won't negotiate beyond the start of spring training, which is February 18 for position players.

The Toronto Blue Jays are in danger of sending the wrong message to a superstar slugger if they refuse to meet his contract expectations.