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Blue Jays, Guerrero Jr. fail to reach contract extension
The Toronto Blue Jays and slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. did not agree on a contract extension ahead of his self-imposed deadline, paving the way for the 25-year-old to become a free agent next summer.
Guerrero Jr. arrived at the Blue Jays’ spring training complex in Dunedin, Fla., early on Tuesday for the team’s first full-squad workout.
“We never got to that point where I felt like I wanted to do the deal,” Guerrero Jr. said through team interpreter Hector Lebron. “I had my numbers. They had theirs.
“Unfortunately, it didn’t happen,” Guerrero Jr. added.
The soon-to-be 26-year-old indicated that he would prefer not to negotiate a contract with the team during the season, imposing his own deadline on extension talks.
“I don’t want my teammates to go through any distractions with this,” Guerrero Jr. noted. “This is business. It’s hard. I tried to do my part, and they tried to do their part, but you have to turn the page and move on, concentrate on this year, and try to make the playoffs.”
Guerrero Jr. acknowledged that he would listen to offers from other teams next summer. Though he didn’t rule out a return to Toronto, Guerrero Jr. repeated that he had his number “all along” and admitted that a deal was never close.
“I changed [the number] a little bit. But, still, it just didn’t happen,” he said. “I know my value, and I’ll stick with it.”
Guerrero Jr. and teammate Bo Bichette will become free agents this summer if new contracts are not reached. Vlad will earn $28.5 million this season, while Bichette will be paid $17.5 million in the final year of his deal.
For his part, Bichette said recently that he hadn’t heard from the organization regarding a contract extension but noted his desire to play with Guerrero Jr. and to win. The shortstop is coming off an injury-riddled season in which he hit .225/.277/.322 with four home runs and 32 RBIs across 81 games.
The son of Hall of Fame outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, Guerrero Jr. signed with Toronto as an international free agent in 2015 at the age of 16.
A four-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger, he’s played his entire career with the Blue Jays.
Atkins elaborates on negotiations
General manager Ross Atkins met with the media in Dunedin shortly after Guerrero Jr. spoke to reporters. He said that while contract talks “came down to the wire,” he wouldn’t close the door in an attempt to get a deal done.
“We remain motivated to keep him here,” Atkins said. “Both sides learned a great deal throughout the process.”
The Blue Jays top executive said that the team stuck to its internal evaluations but did admit that the offer tabled to Guerrero Jr. would have made him one of the highest-paid players in baseball and would have been a franchise record financially.
George Springer has the current club record for the largest free-agent contract signed in Blue Jays’ history (six years and $150 million). Jose Berrios’ seven-year, $131-million deal signed in 2021 remains the most expensive team extension.
“It depends on how you define ‘close.’ That’s too big of a word to talk specifically about and I’m not comfortable talking about numbers,” Atkins said.
“We’re focused on him being a Toronto Blue Jay and winning a World Series. It always takes two. We remain motivated to see if [Guerrero Jr. resigning] can happen.”
Guerrero Jr. is coming off an impressive season for the 74-win Blue Jays, finishing with 30 home runs and 103 RBIs while slashing .323/.396/.544 across 159 games. His best statistical season came in 2021 at the age of 21 when Guerrero Jr. hit a career-high 48 home runs and 111 RBIs and was second in American League MVP voting.
“I will do everything I can to stay here with the Blue Jays. I love it here, I want to be here,” the 25-year-old added. “But it is a business, and I understand that.”
Guerrero Jr. reiterates desire to win
Guerrero Jr. is not guaranteed to leave next fall, as Aaron Judge turned down a $213.5-million, seven-year extension offer from the New York Yankees in the spring of 2022 only to return for $360 million over nine years. But the Yankees nearly lost their superstar slugger in the process, as the San Diego Padres made a late push and offered him $400 million.
The Blue Jays, meanwhile, enter the new season coming off a busy winter. Toronto was linked to several free agents, including superstar outfielder Juan Soto and starting pitcher Roki Sasaki, but failed to land either.
Instead, the club pivoted and signed outfielder Anthony Santander and reliever Jeff Hoffman through free agency, more recently agreeing to a contract with future Hall of Fame starting pitcher Max Scherzer. The front office also acquired infielder Andres Gimenez and reliever Nick Sandlin through trade.
The Blue Jays open their Spring Training games on Feb. 22 against the New York Yankees. The regular season and team’s home opener is March 27 against the Baltimore Orioles.
“I won’t close the door [on a return] if it’s a realistic offer,” Guerrero Jr. said. “But I want to win. I want to win a World Series. My dad played for so many years and never got that chance, so I want to win a championship and hand him that World Series ring.”