In the long arc of professional sports, few tensions cut deeper than the one between what a player has already given and what a franchise hopes they will yet become. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., star of the Toronto Blue Jays, has staked out an unusual philosophical position this season: that his $500 million contract extension was settlement for past excellence, not a promissory note on future greatness. In a year when both player and team have fallen short of expectations, that distinction has proven far more combustible than he may have anticipated.