Jays, Guerrero do not reach deal on extension
DUNEDIN – The Toronto Blue Jays and slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. did not reach an agreement on an extension before his Tuesday deadline on contract negotiations.
The 25-year-old first baseman, who’s entering the final year of his current deal, said he does not plan to continue talks now that he has arrived at camp.
The developments pave the way for Guerrero to become a free agent this fall.
“The last couple days, the front office, my lawyers, my agents, they met, both (sides) tried but obviously we couldn’t get an agreement,” Guerrero said via interpreter Hector Lebron.
Guerrero did not get into specifics of the talks but did say the Blue Jays were not close to the dollar figure he was looking for.
“We never got to the point where I felt like I wanted to do the deal,” he said.
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Guerrero would be one of the biggest names available if he were to hit the open market after the World Series.
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He hit .323 last season with 30 homers and 103 RBIs. Guerrero has been a key offensive cog in the Toronto lineup in recent years.
“We worked very hard and the motivation is still there,” said Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins. “I’m 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.
“It doesn’t change our desire. We will certainly be motivated and remain motivated.”
Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro was scheduled to hold a media availability later Tuesday.
Like many players, Guerrero normally arrives well before deadline day to begin working out and participating in early training sessions. This year, he worked out at a private gym in nearby Tampa.
The lack of an extension was another blow for a Blue Jays’ front office that missed out on superstars Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto over the last two years. Now it appears they will have to compete for Guerrero’s services with 29 other teams this fall.
Guerrero came up through the Toronto system and made his big-league debut in 2019. In the four seasons since the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, he has averaged 34 homers and 101 RBIs a year.
Both sides are taking on risk by not getting a deal signed.
Guerrero’s stock could drop if his numbers slip or he suffers a serious injury. Of course, another strong campaign would only pad his wallet even more down the road.
The Blue Jays, who are looking to rebound from a disappointing 74-88 campaign, avoided arbitration with Guerrero for 2025 when the two sides agreed to a US$28.5-million deal for the final year of team control.
Pre-season play begins Saturday against the Yankees. The regular season kicks off on March 27 against the Baltimore Orioles at Rogers Centre.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
