Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: Blue Jays' Contract Offer 'Not Even Close' to ...
B/R
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said on Monday that he and the Toronto Blue Jays remain far apart in extension negotiations.
"What they offered me is not even close to what I'm looking for," Guerrero said in an interview with Abriendo Sports (translation h/t Héctor Gómez.)
Guerrero has one season remaining under arbitration before he is set to hit free agency in 2026. He is projected to earn $28.8 million next season by Spotrac.
Guerrero told Abriendo Sports he is "ready to go" on signing a long-term deal if the Blue Jays meet his requests (translation h/t Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith.)
The Blue Jays star added that his negotiation deadline is the first full day of spring training. The Jays begin Grapefruit League play on Feb. 22.
Speaking to <a href="https://twitter.com/AbriendoSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AbriendoSports</a> <br>Vlad Guerrero Jr. says he's been discussing a possible extension w/ Blue Jays & is "ready to go" on a long-term deal for the right offer. Also: he says he doesn't plan to negotiate after 1st full day of spring training & Jays front office knows this <a href="https://t.co/dZsxXA6ghL">https://t.co/dZsxXA6ghL</a>
The Blue Jays and Guerrero have been at odds over what salary the four-time All-Star first baseman should earn since at least before the 2024 season, when the team filed at $1.85 million lower than Guerrero in arbitration.
Guerrero ended up winning the case and setting an arbitration hearing record with the $19.9 million decision.
The Blue Jays have previously resolved contract disputes with stars following arbitration disputes, including the three-year, $33.6 million deal they agreed to with Bo Bichette just one month after clashing with the shortstop in arbitration.
But that deal only covered Bichette's already arbitration-eligible years, and was worth at least ten times less what Guerrero is seeking.
Guerrero told Abriendo Sports that the Blue Jays have offered north of $340 million (h/t Mike Rodriguez and Carlos Baerga.) It sounds like that total won't be enough now that Juan Soto reset the market with the 15-year, $765 million deal he signed with the New York Mets.
The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal recently reported that "the perception within the industry remains that the Jays are desperate to do something big" after last year's 74-win season, and that a deal worth somewhere between $500 million and $600 million "probably is more realistic" to keep Guerrero.
Given that Guerrero won his second Silver Slugger Award while batting .323 with 30 home runs and 103 RBI during his age-25 season, the Jays will likely need to do better than half of Soto's contract in order to keep him in Toronto. It sounds like the franchise has about two months left to get there or consider alternative options.
