Blue Jays’ Shapiro On Guerrero Jr.: “I Think We’re Going To Extend Him”
March 20th, 2025 at 11:03am CST • By Steve Adams
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.‘s self-imposed deadline for an extension — the first full day of spring training — came and went more than a month ago, with no deal coming to fruition. Guerrero has left the door slightly cracked, indicating that while he doesn’t plan to negotiate any further, he’d be amenable to hearing the Jays out if they presented a new offer. That mindset is all the more notable now, given that Jays CEO Mark Shapiro flatly stated this morning that he expects to eventually agree to an extension with the team’s star first baseman (via Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi). Said Shapiro:
“…I guess my overarching feeling is one of optimism. I think we’re going to sign him. I think we’re going to extend him. The reason I feel that way is because we have such a clear alignment on the desired outcome. Vlad wants to play his whole career as a Toronto Blue Jay. We want him to end his career in a Blue Jays uniform to be a true legacy player for the Toronto Blue Jays. … Could be before free agency, could be during free agency, but I’m optimistic we will sign him.”
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Kind of a nothing burger, headline makes it seem like Shapiro said something more impactful. But read between the lines and this is Mark saying "Vlad, we are ready to let you test free agency and we are pretty confident the deal you are asking for won't be there"