The Toronto Blue Jays and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. failed to agree on a contract extension ahead of Guerrero’s Monday deadline, opening the door for the four-time All-Star to become a free agent after the season.
The sides worked until 10:30 p.m. to reach a deal, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Guerrero previously told reporters that he would not discuss a new contract once the team began its full-squad spring training workouts Tuesday. For now, the right-handed slugger has his mind set on becoming a free agent after the 2025 season.
“They had their numbers, I had my numbers,” Guerrero said through an interpreter (per MLB Network). “It’s just business, like I always say. Things happen. We’re all good.”
Guerrero, 25, is going to be the top name and youngest player on the free-agent market after the season. The 2021 runner-up for AL MVP is coming off a great 2024 season (.323 batting average, 103 RBI and a .940 OPS).
It would be devastating for the Blue Jays, who have an inability to land key free agents, to lose the first baseman.
“Obviously very disappointed,” GM Ross Atkins told reporters Tuesday. “We worked very hard. The motivation is still there. Confident that every thought, idea we had, every dollar that we had was communicated. But we’re obviously disappointed to not have gotten that done.”
In December, Guerrero confirmed the Blue Jays offered him a contract worth $340M, which was viewed by his team as one “not even close to what we’re looking for.” However, that offer was made before Juan Soto’s record-breaking deal.
Soto, 26, signed a deal worth $765 million for 15 years (per Spotrac) with the New York Mets, significantly changing the financial landscape for stars in their mid-20s.
Guerrero is no Soto, but he deserves to be paid handsomely. If the Blue Jays are unwilling to meet the star’s demands, they risk losing their franchise player.
