Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s long-term future with Toronto Blue Jays in doubt
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. did not agree to a contract extension with the Toronto Blue Jays before his self-imposed deadline, and his future with the team is now in serious doubt.
The star first-baseman was adamant with the Jays at the onset of the offseason that he was not interested in negotiating a contract during the season. With Toronto set to open its spring training schedule this weekend, the deadline to get a deal done was today.
This means that the 25-year-old will hit the free-agent market after the season and will be free to sign with any of the other 29 MLB teams.
Guerrero Jr. met with reporters today to discuss the missed deadline and the Jays' situation. While he didn't rule out eventually extending in Toronto, he was also very blunt about his position.
"I want to be here. I want to be a Blue Jay for the rest of my career," Guerrero Jr. told reporters through a translator. "But it's free agency, it's business, I am going to have to listen to 29 more teams, and [Toronto] is going to have to compete for that."
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays were unable to reach an agreement on a contract extension. #MLBNHotStove pic.twitter.com/CwzFGr5VjB
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 18, 2025
The Blue Jays and Guerrero Jr. went to the wire discussing a possible extension over the weekend, trying to avoid missing this deadline. While the exact numbers being discussed aren't publicly known, any potential extension with Vladdy was expected to be one of the biggest ever in Blue Jays' history.
When asked if the two sides got close to reaching an agreement, Guerrero Jr. gave a blunt and disheartening answer.
"No," Guerrero Jr. said. "I have my number. I changed it a little bit, I tried, but it still just didn't happen."
Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins was also made available to reporters to discuss the missed deadline. He echoed Guerrero Jr. that much work was being put in to ensure this didn’t happen but that the two sides could not reach a common number.
"Very disappointed, we worked very hard. The motivation is still there," Atkins said. "Confident that every thought, idea we had, every dollar that we had was communicated.
"Doesn't change our desire," he added. "We will certainly be motivated and remain motivated."
"Obviously, very disappointed. We worked very hard. The motivation is still there."
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 18, 2025
Ross Atkins on the Blue Jays not reaching an agreement with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. pic.twitter.com/S9TWYk3HXU
This was the Blue Jays' last shot at confidently securing Guerrero Jr. to a long-term contract extension.
While he did give the team some hope that they could still come to an agreement in free agency, the reality of the matter is that they will now be negotiating against every other MLB team for Vladdy's services, which makes a Toronto return much less likely.
It's hard to see how Toronto management has allowed this situation to get to such a dire point with such a beloved player.
