Vladimir Guerrero Jr. says Blue Jays ‘not even close’ on extension talks, sets deadline
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said the Toronto Blue Jays recently made him an offer in the area of $340 million that “is not even close to what we are looking for,” and added during an interview Sunday on the Spanish Abriendo El Podcast that he’ll cut off extension talks once spring training arrives.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said the Toronto Blue Jays recently made him an offer in the area of $340 million that “is not even close to what we are looking for,” and added, during an interview Sunday on the Spanish-language Abriendo El Podcast, that he’ll cut off extension talks once spring training arrives.
The unusual openness from Guerrero — who also said the Blue Jays made him a seven-year, $150-million offer after his monster 2021, when he finished second in the MVP race — suggests discussions aren’t progressing the way he’d like, especially in light of Juan Soto’s record 15-year, $765-million contract.
But in telling the Dominican show that he doesn’t want to discuss his contract once the team begins its full-squad workouts, there’s a deadline on talks aimed at preventing him from becoming a free agent after the 2025 season.
The 25-year-old Guerrero has said multiple times he would like to remain with the Blue Jays on a long-term contract but negotiations have fallen short of his financial expectations.
“Obviously, things have happened,” Guerrero said in Spanish and translated into English by Sportsnet, when asked why he hasn’t signed an extension with the Blue Jays. “But they have not reached the price that (I am) looking for, not even close.”
The Canadian-born, Dominican-raised Guerrero cemented his status as one of the best young hitters in baseball with a 2024 campaign in which he played in his fourth All-Star Game, was named the All-MLB first-team first baseman, won his second career Silver Slugger award and finished sixth in AL MVP voting.
His first MVP-calibre year, in 2021, saw him finish runner-up to Shohei Ohtani and drew an offer that would have kept the then-22-year-old north of the border through 2028.
“I heard it and told my (agent) that I wasn’t interested,” Guerrero said to hosts Vian Araujo and Ricardo Rodríguez. “It was a valid offer. After that, 2022 … nothing … 2023 … nothing.”
With fellow Dominican star Soto signing a record deal this off-season with the New York Mets, Guerrero is high among the next crop of prominent names not locked up. The Blue Jays were among those teams in contention to land Soto before he signed a record-setting deal with the Mets for $765 million, with no deferrals.
Guerrero didn’t talk about the current negotiations, but he did confirm a report from former MLB player Carlos Baerga that the Blue Jays had approached him with an offer this off-season.
“If you see the numbers between Soto and me, in some of them Soto has an advantage over me,” Guerrero said. “So, my (agent) compares the numbers and he came to a point, and they haven’t got to that point.”
But if the Blue Jays get to that point before the team’s first full-squad workout, Guerrero said he will be “ready to go.”
— All quotes translated into English by Sportsnet
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