At a news conference on Monday, April 14, at the Rogers Centre, Toronto Blue Jays officials will reintroduce Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as a franchise pillar and conduct a victory lap after upsetting supporters with their unsuccessful attempts to sign Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani.
Guerrero and the Blue Jays inked a new 14-year contract agreement for $500 million. The baseball business is still dealing with the impact of this arrangement.
MLB Agent Voices His Concern Over Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s Agreement
Several agents were contacted by The Athletic to give clarification on Guerrero’s new contract and what it means for the MLB as a whole. One of the agents deemed the deal as creative.
“The guy secured $500 million. But it’s hard to say that the contract will age well going forward. But he did get that much with a signing bonus not subject to a work stoppage,” the same agent said.
Others had different views. “I like the deal a lot for Vlad,” one longtime agent said. “And the best part is the structure. Even in a lockout, he gets his money.”
The labor stoppage expected to occur after the 2026 season, when the current collective bargaining agreement expires, is hovering over everything. The players and management are not the only parties involved in those labor disputes. It concerns proprietors of small and large markets.
One voiced concerns about the incentive, speculating on the potential level of attention the Canadian government would give it. In the past, the Canada Revenue Agency has contested certain NHL players’ signing bonuses, considering them to be a type of compensation in specific circumstances.
According to the United States, Guerrero might save millions of dollars thanks to the arrangement. Guerrero resides in Florida, which has no income tax, and signing bonuses are distributed according to a player’s state of residence.
Aside from the bonus, some agents questioned how much more the 26-year-old would have gotten if he had gone out to market. According to another agent, the difference between Juan Soto’s ($51 million) and Guerrero’s ($28.5 million) yearly average value should have been more like $10 million.
One of the top players from the next free agent class was taken away by the Blue Jays when they extended Guerrero. Tucker, who was acquired by the Chicago Cubs from the Houston Astros during the summer, will undoubtedly be the main attraction.
Bo Bichette, Kyle Schwarber, Luis Arráez, Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez, and Zac Gallen are among other well-known figures. Another pair of potential opt-out prospects are Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman.
The Blue Jays must be over the moon as they finally found a player who took their offer.