Blue Jays, Vlad Guerrero Jr. agree to record-breaking 14-year extension 

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Not only has Vlad Guerrero Jr. taken a step to be a Toronto Blue Jay for life — a desire he has expressed frequently — he is about to sign the richest contract in Canadian sports history.

The 26-year-old first baseman has agreed to terms on a $500-million US, 14-year deal with the Jays, a ground-breaking contract both for the team and in context of sports in this country.

Not only is it the largest contract signed by a player on a Canadian professional franchise, but with no deferrals, in Major League Baseball context it is second only to the $765 million US the New York Mets are paying Juan Soto in guaranteed money. Shohei Ohtani is earning $700 million US from the Los Angeles Dodgers, but that converted to just over $460 million US in current dollars.

Spread over the duration of the 14-year arrangement, Guerrero will be earning an average of $35.71 million US per season and has landed the contract without having to test free agency.

The contract is pending a physical.

Signed by former GM Alex Anthopoulos as a 15-year-old prodigy in the Dominican Republic, Guerrero has been a massive part of the team’s future and present almost since that day. Fans have watched him rise through the Jays’ minor league system and become an impact player in the big leagues, which he broke into in 2019.

There was his breakthrough 2021 campaign in which Guerrero smashed 48 home runs and was a finalist with Ohtani for American League MVP. There have been ups and downs since, but Guerrero has undoubtedly been a hugely popular athlete both in Toronto and across the country.

In the final year of an arbitration-eligible contract, Guerrero was eligible to become a free agent following the 2025 season. Given that status, he has repeatedly stated that he was willing to listen to offers from all 30 MLB teams.

Originally, the multiple-time all-star had told the Jays he wouldn’t discuss his contract status following a Feb. 18 self-imposed deadline at the beginning of spring training. The Jays felt otherwise, saying they would be interested in continuing discussions, a process that gained momentum in recent days.

The Jays, meanwhile, remained committed to the pursuit of a deal, recognizing the value Guerrero has beyond what he does on the field.

“The underlying real positive foundation is that (Guerrero) wants to remain a Blue Jay for his career, genuinely and authentic,” team president Mark Shapiro told The Sun in an interview last month. “I believe that and we want to keep him here for his career. We want him to be a Blue Jay.

“It’s that rare opportunity to have a player who was signed, developed, got to the big leagues, has a chance to be one of the greatest position players in the history in the franchise.”

And now he’s looked up for potentially the rest of his career, a welcome reprieve for all involved given that it ends months of speculation about the young star’s future.

It certainly appears that the longer Guerrero’s status dragged on, the more the pressure rose on the Jays front office, which had lost out in bidding for a number of prominent free agents in recent years – including both Soto and Ohtani.

Talks between the two sides ramped up in the last week as it was clear the Jays didn’t want it to become a distraction much longer. Reports suggested that Guerrero’s representatives were in Toronto for the season-opening home stand to further the talks.

In terms of dollar value, the contract more than triples the previous high the Jays have shelled out for a player, that being the six-year, $150 million US deal the team is paying outfielder George Springer. It also continues the free-spending ways of owners Rogers Communications, which last week agreed to an $11 billion deal on a 12-year extension of NHL broadcast rights.

The Guerrero deal kicks in for the 2026 season and extends through 2039  — as far off in the future as  that seems — and essentially makes him a Blue Jay for life.

“We want him to be a Blue Jay,” Shapiro told me in March. “It’s that rare opportunity to have a player who was signed, developed, got to the big leagues and has a chance to be one of the greatest position players in the history of the franchise.

“I think finding the sweet spot (on a deal) can be done.”

Now that it has, the next order of business for Guerrero and his 5-5 Blue Jays, who open a four-game series Monday night at Boston’s Fenway Park, where he has blasted 10 of his career round-trippers out of the park? How about hitting his first home run of the season, a task that may become easier now that the pressure of a looming contract is gone.