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The long saga of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s contract extension negotiations is almost over.
Yancen Pujols reported Saturday on Twitter/X that the Toronto Blue Jays have reached agreement on a 14-year, $500 million contract extension with the star first baseman. Hector Gomez reported later in the day that the two sides are "just working (on) finer details" of the contract.
Money and years have been agreed to just working finer details. https://t.co/laxF1PrnDI
— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) April 5, 2025
Sunday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today confirmed the 14-year length of the contract, saying Guerrero and the Blue Jays "are exchanging figures and are expected to reach a resolution any day."
Once finalized, it will be the most lucrative contract extension in baseball history, breaking the record previously held by the Angels' Mike Trout.
More news: Blue Jays, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Close on $500 Million Extension: Report
Owner of a career .287/.362/.499 slash line, Guerrero is coming off a season in which he hit 30 home runs and drove in 103 while cutting his strikeout rate and appearing in 159 games for Toronto. He's a four-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger Award winner, and Gold Glove Award winner at age 26.
The son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero is 10 for 35 (.286) with three doubles, four RBIs, and three runs scored in nine games to begin the 2025 season.
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Serious momentum toward a deal apparently began Friday, when Mike Rodriguez reported that Guerrero was "very close" to reaching an agreement on a contract extension worth "more than $500 million."
Later Friday, Guerrero told ESPN's Jorge Castillo in Spanish that he "didn't know anything" and was letting his agent handle the negotiations while he focused on playing.
I asked Vladimir Guerrero Jr. if he's close to a deal with the Blue Jays.
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) April 4, 2025
(In Spanish): "Well, until now, I don't know anything. I've always tried to talk to my agent and I've always left that to my agent. I focus on playing. Until now, I don't know what you're talking about."
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported in March that Guerrero was seeking $500 million.
More news: All-Star, Silver Slugger Winner Agrees to $135 Million Extension
The negotiations between the two sides appeared to reach an end when Guerrero did not accept the Blue Jays' offer by his self-imposed February deadline. Guerrero and Blue Jays executives gave multiple public interviews afterward speaking of their negotiations in the past tense.
Ross Atkins on not managing to extend Guerrero: "Obviously very disappointed. We worked very hard. The motivation is still there. Confident that every thought, idea we had, every dollar that we had was communicated. But we're obviously disappointed to not have gotten that done."
— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) February 18, 2025
"I know the business," Guerrero told ESPN in March. "I lowered the salary demands a bit, but I also lowered the number of years. ... I'm looking for 14 [years]. I would like 14, 15, even 20 if they give them to me, but doing it the right way."
The Jays entered the offseason highly motivated to prevent Guerrero from reaching free agency this fall. Doing so would allow him to solicit bids from all 30 teams, a tactic players commonly use to drive up their earning potential.
By signing him to a long-term contract extension now, the Jays would have an obvious franchise cornerstone to build around for years to come.
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About the writer
J.P. Hoornstra writes and edits Major League Baseball content. A veteran of 20 years of sports coverage for daily newspapers ... Read more