Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on Wednesday said it was a “big relief” that he and the Toronto Blue Jays were finally able to finalize a long-term deal.
“If I tell you that it’s not a big relief, I’d be lying to you,” Guerrero said about his new deal ahead of Toronto’s 2-1, 11-inning win at Boston. “It’s always been my goal to be here. And I feel like I accomplished that, and I’m very, very happy to stay here and to be a Blue Jay.”
The 14-year, $500 million contract, which starts in 2026, includes a record $325 million signing bonus that protects the money from a possible work stoppage in 2027.
The deal was officially announced Wednesday, and a news conference is scheduled for Monday at the Rogers Centre.
Guerrero agreed in January to a $28.5 million, one-year contract that avoided arbitration, and the four-time All-Star first baseman had said he wouldn’t negotiate after he reported to spring training in mid-February. Still, talks with his agent continued well into the regular season.
“It wasn’t that hard,” Guerrero said of the time that it took to get the deal done. “Like, I would say maybe, I was just trusting the process, every step with my family, my agents, my close ones. I mean, have faith, everything, the outcome was going to be good. So, I mean, trust, I was trusting everything. But thank God, it went well.”
He got the third-largest contract in total dollars behind outfielder Juan Soto’s $765 million, 15-year contract with the New York Mets that started this season and two-way star Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million, 10-year agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers that began last year and is heavily deferred.
Guerrero’s $35.71 million average annual value under the new deal ranks eighth among current contracts.
“I’ve never seen an organization that’s a class organization as a family,” Guerrero said. “It’s been 10, 11 years that we’ve been here. I mean, like I say, this is family for me — the team, the city, the fans, it’s family. To tell you the truth, I wasn’t really feeling to go elsewhere and meet new people.”
He said his own family played a role in his decision.
“That’s one of the hardest ones right there — when your daughter comes to you and asks you ‘Daddy, are we going to stay in Toronto?'” Guerrero said. “Knowing that your family really wants to stay in Toronto, that was [the main one]. But all along they really wanted to stay in Toronto and thank God it happened.”
A son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, the Blue Jays star would have been a free agent this fall at a relatively young age. The elder Guerrero shared some advice with his son: “To trust God. My dad told me to trust God and to try to get the last penny that I could from the organization.”
The younger Guerrero is a .287 career hitter with 160 homers and 511 RBIs. He is batting .288 with no homers and four RBIs in the first 13 games this season.
“Just so powerful for the organization,” Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said. “I think it’s monumental for Toronto and the game. A historic deal for what will be a historic player. I think he’s just getting started. He’s already done tremendous things thus far as an individual, and with this team. He’s going to continue to do those things.”
Seeking its first World Series title since winning championships in 1992 and 1993, Toronto notably failed to land Ohtani, Soto and Roki Sasaki. The Blue Jays agreed to a $92.5 million, five-year contract with outfielder Anthony Santander; a $15.5 million, one-year contract with right-hander Max Scherzer; and a $33 million, three-year contract with reliever Jeff Hoffman.
“This is a monumental moment in franchise history,” Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro said in a statement. “Vlad has been part of our Blue Jays family since he was 16 years old and has captured the heart of our city and country.
“There are very few in the game today that can say they have played for more than two decades with the same team, and we are immensely grateful Blue Jays fans will get to see Vlad finish his career where it all began. The name Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will forever be synonymous with the Toronto Blue Jays.”
Toronto shortstop Bo Bichette, a two-time All-Star, remains eligible for free agency after this year’s World Series.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source link
