Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Negotiations Hit Snag, Free Agency Looms

TORONTO, Canada — Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. confirmed Tuesday that recent contract extension negotiations with his team fell short of expectations, leading him towards potential free agency this November.

The 25-year-old slugger revealed that his representatives’ last contract proposal was significantly less than the $600 million he initially sought and notably less than the 15-year, $765 million deal that superstar Juan Soto secured with the New York Mets during the offseason.

“It’s much less than Soto,” Guerrero said in a press conference. “We’re talking about many fewer millions than Soto, more than a hundred million less. It was the same number of years, but it didn’t reach $600 million.”

In the latest round of discussions, Guerrero had aimed for a 14- to 15-year contract but was willing to negotiate the total financial demand and duration. “I lowered the salary demands a bit, but I also lowered the number of years,” he explained. “I would like 14, 15, even 20 if they give them to me, but doing it the right way.”

Despite the unsuccessful negotiations, Guerrero emphasized his focus on the upcoming season, which marks the last year of his current contract with the Blue Jays. “There was an exchange of salary figures,” he said. “The meetings lasted until the last day of the deadline, but they couldn’t reach an agreement on the numbers. Just because we couldn’t reach an agreement, I’m not going to change the way I work. I have to keep working.”

So far in spring training, Guerrero has shown exceptional performance, boasting a .412 batting average with a 1.121 OPS, alongside one home run and three RBIs in just seven games. He aims to carry that momentum into the regular season.

Information from ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Enrique Rojas, and Juan Recio contributed to this report.