Facing a tacit threat of a grievance from the players’ union because he has kept Vladimir Guerrero Jr. under wraps this season, Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro offered a pithy riposte:



Bring it on.



Actually, his words were a tad more diplomatic.



“I welcome that scrutiny,” he said.



A vocal faction of the fan base has clamoured for the promotion of the Jays’ uber-prospect since spring. And on Thursday, the Major League Baseball Players Association weighed in, releasing a statement to Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi asserting that the Jays’ “manipulation” of Guerrero’s service time is “bad for the Blue Jays, it’s bad for fans, it’s bad for players and it’s bad for the industry.”



By waiting until mid-April 2019 to promote Guerrero, the Jays can delay the start of his service-time clock and retain an extra year of contract control.



But in a rare media session...