The Toronto Blue Jays and superstar first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be together for the long haul. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported early Monday that the two sides have agreed to a lucrative contract extension worth $500 million over 14 years.
Blue Jays and Vladimir Guerrero agree on lengthy extension
Guerrero, 26, and the Blue Jays end a months-long saga that was anticipated to extend into the offseason and potentially lead to the superstar hitting free agency. Many contending teams were keeping tabs on Guerrero and monitoring the situation, but it ended with the Blue Jays keeping their franchise player for the remainder of his career.
Guerrero is one of the top players in baseball and has already established himself as a perennial MVP candidate. He finished as the MVP runner-up in 2021 after blasting an MLB-leading 48 home runs with a .311 batting average and an AL-best 1.002 OPS.
Last season, he bounced back after down 2023 season with a career-high .323 batting average, 30 homers, 103 RBIs, and a .940 OPS. He finished sixth in AL MVP voting and made the All-Star team for the fourth consecutive season.
The Blue Jays are still building a contender
The Blue Jays are in a weird spot where they could see some big pieces moved within the next year. The Blue Jays have made the postseason twice in the past three seasons, but have no playoff victories to show for. Furthermore, they are coming off a season in which they finished last in the AL East with a 74-88.
The team made a handful of offseason moves including signing outfielder Anthony Santander and closer Jeff Hoffman. Despite that, the starting rotation still has major holes, and their lineup has underperformed to begin the 2025 season.
Nevertheless, Toronto does not have to worry about Guerrero departing in the offseason, as he has put in his full commitment to the Blue Jays and wants them to build a contender around him. The 26-year-old superstar is on his way to replicating the success his Hall of Fame father, Vladimir Guerrero, brought to the game, and he will do so in Toronto.