The Blue Jays and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. seemed to be oceans apart in contract negotiations last week, and it looked like the superstar could be on the verge of becoming a free agent at the end of the season.
However, according to MLB Insider Héctor Gómez, Toronto is preparing a last-ditch offer before the start of the season believed to be in the range of 14-15 years and $550-$600 million, which is closer to what Guerrero has been seeking from the start.
Is Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Worth the Investment?
While it is no surprise that Toronto would want to keep Guerrero around, it is surprising that they are willing to give him such a high investment, especially after the pushback from fans and media alike for his contract demands.
SOURCE: The #BlueJays are planning to make a new offer to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., which will be close to what he is looking for.
According to the source, the Jays’ offer would be in the range of 14-15 years and $550-600 million.@z101digital
— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) March 17, 2025
Another respected MLB insider, Ken Rosenthal, hinted at the Blue Jays possibly meeting Guerrero’s demands before the end of spring training. In a recent appearance on the “Foul Territory” podcast, Rosenthal explained that there could be room for the two parties to re-engage in negotiations before the start of the season.
“The Jays were at $450 [million] present value … Vlad Guerrero Jr.’s ask is $500 [million] present value. So the difference we’re talking about is $50 million over 14 years. That’s not a lot of money.”
“That’s not a lot of money. They can do that.”@Ken_Rosenthal doesn’t think negotiations between Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays are necessarily over, despite their $50M gap in a 14-year deal. pic.twitter.com/P4uRt48l6V
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) March 12, 2025
Guerrero celebrated his 26th birthday on March 16 and is entering his seventh MLB season. He’s been named an All-Star each of the past four years and is coming off a big bounce-back season (2.0 WAR in 2023; 6.2 WAR in 2024).
Guerrero finished the year with 30 home runs and 103 RBI while slashing .323/.396/.544. The slugger recorded his third 30-HR season, his second-highest RBI total behind his 111 in 2021, and a career-best batting average.
Another reason why the Blue Jays could justify an investment of over half a billion dollars on a player is Guerrero’s durability. Over the past five seasons, he’s only missed 12 games combined. He played in all 60 games in the COVID-19-shortened season in 2020 and has played in at least 156 games each season afterward, including 159 of 162 last season.
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The Blue Jays’ initial offer included significant deferrals that brought down the present value of the deal, but if the reports are accurate and Toronto negotiates a contract in the $550-$600 million range, it would give Guerrero the third-highest contract by total value in MLB history.
It would rank only behind Juan Soto’s 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets this offseason and Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers signed in 2024.
At 26 years old, Guerrero is the same age as Soto; signing a contract that would take him into his 40s would fall in line with other superstars who have signed deals that gave them financial security for the next decade-plus.
