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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. spoke to reporters on Tuesday morning, his deadline for negotiations, and confirmed that no deal had been reached.
Well, you can finally stop holding your breath. As promised, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. met with reporters at 8:00 AM on the morning of Tuesday, February 18, his spring training deadline for extension talks with the Blue Jays. Revealing that calls between the two parties stretched to 10:30 on Monday night, Guerrero said, “They had their numbers; I had my numbers.” And just like that, any hope of Guerrero signing an extension with the Blue Jays has been extinguished. Guerrero wants to focus on baseball during spring training and the regular season, so he will go into his contract year with everything to prove. The news ratchets up the uncertainty even further for a Blue Jays team that spent heavily during the offseason, but still ended up with a team that needs a lot to break right in order to have a chance at the playoffs.
As Guerrero is entering his age-26 season as one of the most feared sluggers in the game, his numbers are surely quite large. In the coming days and weeks, it’s possible that we’ll learn more about the specifics of the numbers that the Blue Jays proposed as the deadline. Back in December, Guerrero told reporters that the Blue Jays had made him an offer in the area of $340 million, and that it was “not even close to what we are looking for.” He also said that after his excellent 2021 season, the team offered him a seven-year, $150-million extension. Asked on Tuesday morning whether the Blue Jays were close to his number, Guerrero simply said, “No.” He also said, “I know my value.”
After Juan Soto’s record-shattering 15-year, $765-million deal with the Mets, it’s hard to fault Guerrero for having a better sense of his value. While Soto occupies an echelon of his own – his 158 wRC+ is well above Guerrero’s still-excellent 137 – his age and prowess as a slugger still make him the best comparison for Guerrero’s contract situation. Soto entered free agency before his age-26 season, while Guerrero will do so before his age-27 season. Both players are extremely one-sided, providing excellent world-class offense and some of the game’s worst defense and baserunning. It’s a recipe for a long contract, and if the Blue Jays hope to retain Guerrero, they’ll now have to compete with the rest of the league.
For those of you who’d like to panic, the New York Post’s Jon Heyman has already posted a top three list of Guerrero’s potential landing spots, “1. Red Sox 2. Mets (assuming Pete opts out) 3. Yankees.” However, Guerrero made it clear, as he has throughout the process, that he hasn’t closed any windows and would like to be a Blue Jay for life, saying "I will do anything, everything I can to stay here because I want to be here." He also made it clear that money isn't his only concern. "Winning team," he told reporters. "That’s what I’ll be looking for in free agency. As you guys know, my dad played a lot of years. He never won a World Series. My personal goal is to win a World Series and give the ring to my dad."
We’ll update this story later this morning, when Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro will address reporters about the situation.
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