The Blue Jays and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have agreed to a $28.5MM salary to avoid an arbitration hearing, reports Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. This does not prevent the sides from discussing a long-term deal in advance of Guerrero’s final year of club control.
Guerrero and the Jays went to a hearing last offseason. The star first baseman proved triumphant and secured a $19.9MM salary rather than the team’s filing figure of $18.05MM. They won’t go through that process this time around. Guerrero agrees to an $8.6MM raise for what’ll be his last trip through the process. That’s a hair below the $29.6MM projection from MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. He’ll nevertheless be the highest-paid player in this year’s arbitration group. Guerrero wasn’t far off joining Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto as the only players to eclipse the $30MM mark in arbitration.
The far more intriguing question is whether this will be Guerrero’s final contract with the Blue Jays. The four-time All-Star said last month that the Jays had offered him an extension in the $340MM range. Guerrero indicated that was well below his asking price, which USA Today’s Bob Nightengale has suggested is at or above $450MM. The first baseman said he was willing to continue negotiations until the start of Spring Training. He indicated he would test free agency next offseason if no deal is in place once exhibition play begins.
Guerrero finished sixth in MVP balloting last season. He raked at a .323/.396/.544 clip with 30 homers and 44 doubles. His numbers weren’t too far off what he’d produced when he was runner-up behind Ohtani in MVP voting in 2021. He’s on track to get to free agency at age 27, where he and Kyle Tucker would headline the class.
Most of the contenders have their eyes on Vlady in 26! He gets the next big payday!
I think it’s him and Tucker. Tucker gets on base, has power, plays solid D & runs well.
Tucker is a hair over 2 years older than Vladdy though
And several hairs more athletic. He will last longer than Vladdy.
I mean, Vladdy also plays a far less demanding position than Tucker.
If Vladdy is “fat” or “unathletic” or whatever adjective most used on here to describe him, how does he have the most plate appearances out of anyone the past 4 years?
I wish this was a multi year extension. But the fact that they avoided arbitration has to help in that regard a little bit, right? RIGHT?!
I think that train has left the station, the Mets are his next stop with Lindor and Soto!
Sadly I agree. I could also see Boston, but with Devers eventual move across the diamond i doubt they’d want to lock up dh and 1b like that.
Steve Philips had a good take on overdrive today (tsn radio) and I agree with him he thinks they should sign Santander, Alonso and Bregman then trade Vlad for a kings ransom
I don’t hate that. Would help a struggling farm. Somehow I feel like the front office would not get a package of landscape changing value, but that could be my negative bias speaking.
Nobody will give up a kings ransom when he will be a free agent in a year and only cost a draft pick
Agreed don’t trust shatkins to make that all happen but hey the Kikuchi trade was considered highway robbery so who knows
Hah, takes like this are why Steve Feel-ups isn’t a GM anymore.
Steve Phillips also thought it was a good idea to emulate Billy Clinton and get involved with an intern. He’s clueless
His last Blue Jay deal before he joins the Mets next year.
Don’t sleep on the Dodgers. He could play 3B for 2 years and then take over 1B in 28.
What about the Yanks?
Vladdy has Boston written all over him. It’s destiny…and it’s why Boston needs to trade Casas to the Mariners.
By opening day 2026
Vladdy will be a met
Agreed! Book it Dano!
Great, the Mets are getting Prince Fielder 2.0
The Mets would be very happy with that.
Prince Fielder was awesome until his neck injury.
Nothing wrong with that 🙂
Just because Steve Cohen is rich beyond your wildest dreams doesn’t mean he will throw money around willy-nilly. I believe he said sometime in the past that there’s no reason a team should spend more than $250 mill on a championship team. Or maybe it was more like “if you have to spend more than $250 mill to field a championship team, you’re lame and you suck.” (Not verbatim)
Jays should be shopping this guy. Probably going to waste him and just pick up a draft pick at the end of the year.
Agreed, they should shop both him and Dante, they are good as gone that’s why they can’t sign anyone.
Dante is definitely gone. Sadly due to his year last year they have to wait until the deadline. They went all in with their budget on Gimenez!
Dante is 61 years old. Been gone a LONG time. Don’t comment if you don’t even know what player you’re talking about.
They meant Dante Jr.
dats dajoke
The Blob strikes again. Ahahahaha!
Good for him! Hope he works things out for an extension there.
Really hope this fat slob doesn’t become a Met.
Lol and the intelligent comment of the day goes to richard breath here ^
As Scott Steiner would say, “He’s fat!”
I hear the Blue Jays are interested…
Why do Mets fans think that he’s a sure thing? Yankees will need a 1B, he could play 3B for 2 years and then take over 1B for the Dodgers. Jays got money to spend. Even the Red Sox could need a 1B. Giants? There are a lot of potential landing spots…
Last thing Mets need is another decade plus long contract to a guy who can’t field. As much as I love his offense, that’s a disaster waiting to happen if he and Soto are making 40+ and need to dh
Cant field???
It’s very unlikely the Yankees will be interested.
Vladdy has no business being at third base. Forget that pipe dream.
@BronxBombers23
Yankees will be bidding for Munetaka Murakami. Much younger and cheaper option.
Who is going to outspend Steve Cohen? If he lands Vlad, the Mets will contend with the Dodgers for at least the next 6-7 years for the WS championship.
There is something called “a pitching staff” that would come in handy too.
Dodgers and Mets in a world series? I’ll bet it doesn’t happen
Vlad might want to listen to what the Jay’s are offering. Something in the 10/$400 mil might be a safe bet. Looking at where he ranks in War since his debut (40th) and his offensive War value (13th), he just didn’t profile as well as Soto. Soto might be a below average OF, but Vlad is a below average 1b. Soto is thick, and Vlad is a little pudgy. He carries it well at his age, but what will that look like in 5 years if he doesn’t change his training now? Judge and Soto sit 1 and 2. Vlad? 40th?
Gotta go higher than 400.. Reports have him asking for 450, presumably over 10 yrs.. He’ll get it and he should take it now from the Jays (or even a bit less). A poor year will cost him big time in free agency.
Now that Guerrero is signed for the year, ship him off to Boston for Casas, Anthony, and Campbell. If they have to take Yoshida at the same time, then ask for Mayer as the player attached to Yoshida. Toronto has nothing to lose and let Boston pay the big bucks and get into a bidding war with the other big spenders. Toronto lowers their payroll, fill 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and SS with young players that can grow together into the next foundation team. That allows Toronto to trade Bichette to the Brewers and Bassett to Detroit for one of their young pitchers. Roll the dice for the next few seasons without expectations of rising above last place in the AL East until they are ready and have the space to add 1 or 2 pieces to put them over the top when the situation calls for it.
This has to be a troll. In no world do you actually think Vlad is that valuable.
Boston doesn’t give up those players for one year of Vladdy.
Another overrated, boring player. But, I hope he takes a team to the cleaners.
He’s gone. Doesn’t prevent an extension from happening, of course, but if both sides were in, a long-term deal would be done by now.
Keep seeing $350m and $450m extensions thrown around but never how many years that’s for. This article is the same and it would be good to know the AAV versus the gross amount.
If Vlad Jr. rejected 10/340, it’s likely ten years.
One less available name for the Wannabe’s to use as click-bait….