"Only $30M first baseman is Bryce Harper" - MLB analyst doubts Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s chance at massive deal, reveals pay gap with third basemen

By Raghav Mehta

Modified Aug 23, 2024 10:29 GMT

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Toronto Blue Jays - Source: Imagn

MLB analyst Jeff Blair talked about Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s potential upcoming contract in comparison to first basemen Bryce Harper, Freddie Freeman and more. Guerrero has been one of the biggest stars for the Toronto Blue Jays, hitting .316 with 26 homers and 81 RBIs this season. The 25-year-old is set to enter free agency at the end of the 2025 season.

In the latest episode of "Blair and Barker," Jeff Blair talked about how getting $30 million a year as a first baseman might not be possible for Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

"First baseman just don't get paid as much. Vladdy's not gonna get $30 million a year, the only $30 million (AAV) first baseman right now is Bryce Harper (Philadelphia Phillies). ... Other than him, Freddie Freeman (Los Angeles Dodgers) is the next highest first baseman at $27 million.

"Here's a list of MLB's highest-paid first basemen in 2024: Harper, 27. 5, Freeman, 27, (Paul) Goldschmidt (St Louis Cardinals), 26, (Matt) Olson (Atlanta Braves) 22, (Pete) Alonso (New York Mets) 20.5. Vladdy is sixth at $19.5 million." (45:34)

Blair also noted that the highest-paid third basemen in the major leagues get paid more:

"It seems that salaries for third basemen have risen a bit more as compared to those of first basemen." (38:15)

Here are the highest-paid third basemen in the MLB:

Anthony Rendon, LA Angels - $36 million a year
Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals) - $35 million
Alex Bregman, Houston Astros - $30.5 million
Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox - $29.3 million
Kris Bryant. Colorado Rockies - $28 million
Yoan Moncada, Chicago White Sox - $24.8 million
Austin Riley, Atlanta Braves - $21 million.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. continues good form; Blue Jays win opener against Angels

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-3 at Rogers Center on Thursday. The hosts took control early in the game and scored all their runs in the bottom of the second, after which the game remained scoreless up until the top of the ninth. The visitors made it an interesting finale by rallying for three but the mountain proved too steep to climb.

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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been steadily growing in form and confidence as the season progresses, and he continues to be the main man for the Blue Jays. He hit his latest homer against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday, taking his tally to 26 for the season.

Next, the Blue Jays take on the Angels once again on Friday in the second of the four-game series. Fans will be hoping Guerrero and co. can pick up where they left off.

About the author

Raghav Mehta is a baseball journalist at Sportskeeda awaiting results for a Bachelor's in Journalism from Delhi University. He enjoys highlighting the key battles between players at different stages of the game and analyzing the decisive moments upon which they hinge.

One of Raghav's favorite moments, which underscores this, was the Shohei Ohtani vs. Mike Trout clash in the 2023 WBC, where two of baseball's best players faced off against each other in the 9th inning. With the score 3-2 to Japan, Shohei eventually got the strikeout, which was absolute cinema.

Raghav is a Baltimore Orioles fan and is enjoying watching such an exciting young team compete at the top in a very competitive division.

Raghav has loved watching sports for as long as he can remember and realized he was pretty decent at writing his thoughts down at around the age of 14. Combining the two meant he had something he would enjoy doing every day, and he had identified that well before going to college.

Aside from work, Raghav enjoys playing sports, working out and watching movies.

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Edited by John Maxwell