Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. explains controversial quotes
The 2026 season has been full of struggles for the Toronto Blue Jays, and their star player, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., has been right at the centre of it.
In a sit-down interview with Dominican Republic broadcaster Telemicro, Guerrero opened up about the pressure he's felt this season after signing his massive contract extension.
Guerrero said he doesn't believe he was paid that amount for what he's going to do in a Blue Jays uniform; it's for what he has already done.
"The contract I got was based on what I did, not necessarily for what I'm going to do," Guerrero told Telemicro reporter Veronica Batista (translated from Spanish by MLB insider Hector Gomez). "I understand why the fans believe it's the other way around.
"Sometimes I think that way too, like 'Oh, they give me this money, and I'm not doing enough,' but you know I try my best, and I'm working hard."
The 27-year-old has hit just nine home runs for the Blue Jays this season, which will be the lowest total of his eight-year MLB career outside of the shortened 2020 pandemic season.
He also went the first five months of the year without hitting a home run at Rogers Centre, which led to some loud boos from Blue Jays fans.
Guerrero addressed the criticism in the interview.
"The fans, I know how they are: when you are doing great, they are 100 per cent behind you, but when you are not at your best, not everybody is behind you; almost nobody supports you," Guerrero said to Batista.
"Those are my real fans, the ones that are supporting me all the time."
Guerrero was asked about what he said following Wednesday afternoon's 4-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, which eliminated Toronto from postseason contention.
He responded by taking accountability for not helping the Blue Jays reach the postseason, but also doubled down on what he previously said.
"That was a quote from the interview, and she asked me how I felt about this year. I said, obviously, I feel really bad about the year that I had. I couldn't help get my team to the postseason, and I said that I felt, in my personal opinion, that every player gets paid for what they've done," Guerrero said through Blue Jays interpreter Hector Lebron, per Sportsnet's Shi Davidi.
"With that said, if you guys remember, I signed my contract at the beginning of last year when I did put up a good year, the kind of playoffs that I had, to help the team get into the World Series.
"To the fans, I never stopped working very hard. I'm going to go to the offseason again to prepare myself to do the best I can physically, mentally, everything that I have, like I always do for my team and my teammates."
During his eight seasons with the Blue Jays, he has led the team in home runs in four of his eight big-league seasons and helped Toronto reach the postseason on four occasions.
Less than 12 months ago, Guerrero was also named ALCS MVP for his performance during Toronto's run to its first World Series in 32 years.
This season, however, has been a far cry from what fans saw from the Canadian-born slugger during that playoff run.
John E. Sokolowski/Imagn Images
Guerrero's struggles at the plate have also contributed to the Blue Jays' larger offensive problems. Toronto ranks last in MLB in home runs and second-last in runs scored.
The down year comes in the first season of Guerrero's 14-year, $500 million extension, which made him one of the highest-paid players in baseball.
Nick Turchiaro/Imagn Images
