Toronto slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has consistently said he wanted to be a Blue Jay for his entire career.
The two sides have agreed on a long-term megadeal that could very well make that happen.
The 26-year-old first baseman and Canada’s lone big-league team have agreed on a 14-year contract extension worth US$500 million, a source told The Canadian Press early Monday morning.
The deal, which is pending a physical, was also being reported by Sportsnet, ESPN and The Athletic.
The team has yet to confirm the extension. The Blue Jays, currently on a 10-day road trip, are scheduled to kick off a four-game series in Boston on Monday night.
Guerrero is in the final year of his current contract. Without an extension, the four-time all-star could have hit free agency this fall.
The deal is by far the most lucrative in franchise history, far surpassing the $150-million, six-year deal that outfielder George Springer signed as a free agent in January 2021.
The Blue Jays took swings at the sport’s top free agents this past off-season — including Juan Soto, who signed an MLB-record $765-million, 15-year deal with the New York Mets — before extending one of their own stars.
Guerrero, who hit .323 last season with 30 homers and 103 RBIs, has spent his entire big-league career in Toronto.
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The extension does not include any deferred money, reports said. It’s the third largest deal in total dollars behind Soto’s deal and Shohei Ohtani’s $700-million, 10-year deal 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. Ohtani ($70 million) leads the way in AAV with Soto ($51 million) behind him.
Former Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos signed Guerrero as a 16-year-old in July 2015. At the time, Guerrero was ranked fourth on MLB.com’s top-30 list of international prospects.
A Montreal native who represents the Dominican Republic internationally, Guerrero played third base in his rookie year before moving across the diamond in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
His best year came in 2021, when he finished second in the AL MVP race after hitting .311 with 48 homers and 111 RBIs.
Guerrero won a Gold Glove in ’22 but his offensive numbers slipped a little, a trend that continued in ’23. He was back in top form last year though, anchoring the lineup with a .940 OPS and .544 slugging percentage.
The extension was a big accomplishment for general manager Ross Atkins and the team’s front office, who were slammed by the team’s fan base and pilloried by local media for some of their choices last winter.
The team did sign slugger Anthony Santander to a five-year deal but otherwise struck out in its attempt to land top free-agent talent. When Guerrero’s mid-February negotiation deadline passed without a deal, the pile-on continued.
Citing the desire to limit distractions at training camp and during the season, Guerrero planned to put contract talks on hold. The four-time all-star did, however, leave the door open for the resumption of talks.
Reports surfaced in early March that the Blue Jays had offered Guerrero a deal in the $400-$450 million range. Another volley appeared to come a couple of weeks later when reports said the team made another offer.
The two sides were eventually able to agree on an extension just over a week into the regular season.
Guerrero did not homer in his first 10 games this season. Entering play Monday, he has a .256 average and four RBIs.
Guerrero and the team avoided arbitration for 2025 when the two sides settled on a salary of $28.5 million. His new deal would run through the 2039 season.
Toronto shortstop Bo Bichette, a two-time all-star, remains eligible for free agency after this year’s World Series.
Guerrero was awarded $19.9 million for 2024 when an arbitration panel picked his request over the team’s offer of $18.05 million.
Guerrero hit .381 over 95 minor-league games in 2018 and made his big-league debut with Toronto in April 2019.
His father, Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, was a nine-time all-star and 2004 AL MVP.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 7, 2025. With files from The Associated Press.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
