Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is entering the 2025 season without a new deal, but it may not have been due to him being unreasonable in negotiations.
The Toronto Blue Jays slugger Guerrero spoke this week in an interview with ESPN’s Enrique Rojas and Ernesto Jerez. During the interview, Guerrero revealed his surprisingly low final contract ask of the team during their failed extension talks — 14-15 years and under $600 million. Guerrero noted in the interview that his contract demands were far lower than the 15 years and $765 million that fellow Dominican MLB star Juan Soto just got in free agency this offseason from the New York Mets.
“It’s much less than Soto,” Guerrero was quoted as saying. “We’re talking about many fewer millions than Soto, more than a hundred million less … It was the same number of years [as Soto’s contract], but it didn’t reach [$600 million]. The last number we gave them as a counteroffer didn’t reach 600.
“I know the business,” added Guerrero. “I lowered the salary demands a bit, but I also lowered the number of years … I’m looking for 14 [years]. I would like 14, 15, even 20 if they give them to me, but doing it the right way.”
On its own merits, a nearly $600 million contract figure for Guerrero, 25, might be seen as exorbitant. But Shohei Ohtani reset the market two offseasons ago with a 10-year, $700 million deal from the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Soto did so this offseason for more traditional position players with his 15 years and $765 million from the Mets. Thus, roughly $40-$42 million per year for Guerrero (who is younger than both Ohtani and Soto) does not seem at all excessive in comparison.
Now a four-time MLB All-Star, Guerrero is coming off a 2024 season in which he hit a career-high .323 with 30 home runs and 103 RBIs. He also hardly strikes out for a player with his power profile and almost never misses games either (with 155 or more games played in each of the last four seasons).
But the Blue Jays, who were a fifth-place team in 2024 at 74-88, were unable to strike a new deal with Guerrero ahead of his impending free agency next winter. Thus, the righty slugger is now set to open up his services to the market at large (including some very surprising MLB teams).
