The Toronto Blue Jays and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have been negotiating an extension for quite some time. Toronto reportedly offered a contract in the $450 million to $500 million range over 14 years, which included deferrals.
Guerrero, in a counter, asked for $500 million in present value with no deferrals, and, thus, the two sides seemed far apart. However, recent rumblings suggested the Blue Jays would eventually give Guerrero the contract he’s been looking for, but that hasn’t happened yet, and Opening Day is just around the corner.
Will Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Regret Not Accepting the Blue Jays’ Offer?
If the two sides don’t agree to an extension before the season starts, Guerrero has indicated he will explore free agency in the offseason. After all, he just turned 26 and could be in line for one of the largest deals in MLB history.
However, there are questions about whether the kind of money Guerrero was offered and turned down will still be available next offseason.
Guerrero is coming off a stellar season in which he was one of the game’s best hitters. He finished the year with a .323 battering average, a .396 on-base percentage, with a slugging percentage of .544. As a result, Guerrero finished the year with 30 home runs and 103 RBIs.
Yet, if Guerrero enters the season without an extension, that puts a lot of pressure on him to perform at the same level to land a $500 million contract next year.
Chris Henderson of Blue Jays Nation brought up Pete Alonso’s contract situation this offseason, pointing to teams’ reluctance to give massive deals to first basemen.
“We don’t have to look much further than how things worked out for Pete Alonso over the last six months. Granted, Alonso is older and not as much of a complete hitter as Guerrero, but he’s still shown elite power throughout his six years in the big leagues. And yet, he had to settle for a two-year, $54 million deal to return to the Mets when all was said and done.”
If Guerrero has one thing going for him, it’s his durability. He played in 159 games last season and has only missed 12 combined games over the last five seasons.
If Guerrero stays healthy and puts up similar numbers to last season — or to 2021, when he finished second in AL MVP voting — he should get the contract he wants, whether from the Blue Jays or another team next offseason.
However, if Guerrero struggles like he did in 2022 and 2023, he might regret not taking Toronto’s initial offer, which guaranteed him almost half a billion dollars.