Guerrero plans to become free agent after season, fails to reach long-term deal with Blue Jays

 

[February 19, 2025]  By CHRIS NELSEN

DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. plans to become a free agent after the season following the passing of his deadline Tuesday to reach a long-term agreement with the Toronto Blue Jays.

“Listen, I want to be here. I want to be a Blue Jay for the rest of my career," the four-time All-Star first baseman said through translator Hector Lebron at Blue Jays camp. "But it’s free agency. It’s business. I’m going to have to listen to 29 more teams and they’re going to have to compete for that.”

Guerrero has a $28.5 million, one-year contract and will be perhaps the top free agent on the market one year after Juan Soto signed a record $765 million, 15-year contract with the New York Mets.

Guerrero, who turns 26 next month, said his last communication with the team came around 10:30 p.m. Monday and the two sides never came close to a deal.

“I have my number all along," Guerrero said. "I changed it a little bit. I tried, but it still didn’t happen.”

“I know my value,” he added. “I didn’t see the front office moving to my number. It wasn’t the number I was looking for. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen."

Guerrero had said during the offseason he would cut off negotiations when he reported for spring training.

“I don’t want, especially my teammates, to go through any distractions about that,” Guerrero said. “I’m here today and I’m ready. I want to win a lot of games and I want to make it to the playoffs. That’s all that’s in my head right now.”

Guerrero hit .323 last season with a .940 OPS, 30 homers and 103 RBIs.

“We’re disappointed we couldn’t get a deal done,” Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro said. “When you go into a negotiation, each side has rational for a number. In this case, we couldn’t align on a common number. There’s no such thing as close or not close. There’s done or not done.”

Shapiro maintained the team will not entertain trade offers for Guerrero.

“Our only focus now is winning with Vladdy,” he said.

Guerrero came up through the Toronto system, made his big league debut in 2019 and has a .288 average, .863 OPS, 160 homers and 507 RBs.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., left, talks with pitcher Alek Manoah during spring training baseball workouts in Dunedin Fla., Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

“I’ll do anything, everything I have, to stay here with the Blue Jays," Guerrero said. "I love it here. I want to be here. I’m not thinking about free agency. I won’t be thinking about free agency at all during the season.”

Shapiro, team chairman Edward Rogers and Rogers Communications Inc. CEO Tony Staffieri were involved in the negotiations.

General manager Ross Atkins thinks the team made fair proposals.

“The offers we made for Vlad would have been record-setting and made him one of the highest-paid players in the game,” Atkins said. “We were, in our view, very aggressive.”

Guerrero’s father, Vladimir Guerrero, is a Hall of Famer and nine-time All-Star who was voted the 2004 AL MVP.

Toronto players hope their teammate's contract situation doesn’t become a constant focus during the season.

“We know, without a doubt, he’s a Blue Jay this year,” pitcher Kevin Gausman said. “I’m sure it could be a distraction, but I’m not too worried about that. I think Vladdy is focused on going out and playing baseball.”

Guerrero appeared to be in good spirits when practice began Tuesday, laughing and smiling with his teammates. As Guerrero was preparing for running drills, a fan from Toronto yelled: “I’d write you a blank check if I had the money.”

Toronto expects to make offers to Guerrero as a free agent after the World Series.

“We are certainly positioned well,” Shapiro said. “We have the financial wherewithal to pursue the contracts we want to pursue.”

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