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It appears that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is on track to spend his entire career with the Toronto Blue Jays. After months of negotiations and speculation, the two sides were able to reach an agreement on a 14-year, $500 million contract extension that will keep the All-Star slugger signed until he turns 40-years-old.
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After turning down an offer ahead of the 2025 campaign, there was uncertainty surrounding Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s future with the Toronto Blue Jays. Although there was mutual interest in an extension, the fact that a deal had not been signed created an uncomfortable level of uncertainty about the team's future.
It has been a rough stretch for the Toronto front office led by president of baseball operations and general manager Scott Atkins, as the team has been linked to a number of superstars but missing out on all of them. Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, Roki Sasaki, and Corbin Burnes were all players that the front office pursued, only to ultimately miss out.
This is something that MLB insider Jon Morosi spoke about in an interview on Baseball Central's Inside Corner. Even though Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was able to secure a $500 million contract, Morosi believes that the extension was arguably more important for the team's front office.
"This is a huge day for the Toronto Blue Jays. They've been courting major free agents over the past few seasons, whether it's Ohtani, Soto, Sasaki, Burnes... They've got their man now and he's been there all along in Vladimir Guerrero Jr.," Morosi explained.
The new contract for Vladdy Jr. shattered the team's previous record signing when they signed George Springer to a six-year, $150 million deal. Guerrero Jr., who has spent his entire seven-year MLB career with the Toronto Blue Jays, will continue to be the face of the club. Morosi believes that the signing will also adjust the team's plans moving forward and the pressure to immediately win it all sooner rather than later.
"In addition to this being the win that this front office needed, it shifts a bit of the time horizon for the organization to win going forward. Had the Jays struggled in the next few months, there would have been a lot of talk about Vlad getting traded in July... Now they can focus on augmenting this core," Morosi continued.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. sits behind only Juan Soto in terms of the richest present-day MLB contracts
Vladdy's 14-year, $500 million deal quickly shot him up the list of the most lucrative contracts in Major League Baseball history. In terms of present-day value, Vladdy's contract is worth more than Shohei Ohtani's 10-year, $700 million deal because of how heavily deferred his deal is with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Only Juan Soto's 15-year, $765 million contract ranks above Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s in terms of present-day value. After signing the deal, All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker is slated to become the top hitter in free agency this upcoming offseason. It will be interesting to see what kind of deal he might be able to secure.
