IT'S OFFICIAL: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is a $500-million man and face of the Blue Jays through 2039
Rreported 14-year, $500-million US contract extension with Toronto Blue Jays slugger is official.
Article content
He’s a four-time all star and has been a member of the Blue Jays organization since he was a 16-year-old still finding his baseball feet.
And now Vlad Guerrero Jr.’s reported 14-year, $500-million US extension is official, the team announced in Boston prior to Wednesday’s game against the Boston Red Sox.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
IT'S OFFICIAL: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is a $500-million man and face of the Blue Jays through 2039 Back to video
“This is a monumental moment in franchise history,” Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro said in a club statement, confirming the news that broke earlier in the week. “Vlad has been part of our Blue Jays family since he was a 16-year-old and has capture the heart or our city and country.
“There are few in the game today that can say they have played for more than two decades with the same team and we are immensely grateful Blue Jays fans will get to see Vlad finish his career where is all began.”
Details of the historic contract — the biggest in club history and largest dollar value of any athlete’s contract in Canadian sports history — emerged early Monday. The club waited for Guerrero to pass a physical to make it official and that came prior to Wednesday’s third game of a four-game series against the Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston.
And, as a punctuation to the magnitude of the deal, the team press release articulated all the zeros in the contract — all eight of them — on a deal that will extend all the way through the 2039 season.
Guerrero had some fun with the announcement with a post released on the team’s official X account.
“Hello guys,” Guerrero said, with a big smile on his face and leaning into the camera. “I’ve got a message for you. I’m not leaving.”
Born in Montreal where his Hall of Fame father Vlad Sr. was playing for the Montreal Expos, the now 26-year-old Guerrero made his major league debut at the Rogers Centre a little more than six years ago, on April 26, 2019, at age 20.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
In this his seventh big-league season, Guerrero already has been an American League all-star four times (each season from 2021 to 2024), a two-time Silver Slugger award winner (2021 and 2024) and a Gold Glove Award winner for his defensive work at first base (2021).
He also has been an all-star game MVP (2021) and a winner of the Home Run Derby in 2023. Given his Canadian birth certificate, Guerrero also is a two-time Tip O’Neill Award winner as the country’s top baseball player (2021 and 2024).
“As proud owners of the Blue Jays, we’re committed to building a championship team and we’re thrilled to have Vlad’s leadership as one of the best players in the game,” said Edward Rogers, executive chair of Rogers Communications and the Blue Jays. “Today is a win for the best fans in baseball.”
Since his breakthrough 2021 season, Guerrero leads the AL in hits (733) and is third in home runs (136.) During that span, he also leads the majors in hard-hit balls (1,097), a reflection of his incredible bat-to-ball skills. His 48 homers in 2021 were the most in a single season by a player aged 22 or younger.
“I love our fans, they have supported me my whole career and made me feel appreciated every day,” Guerrero said in a statement. “My family and I have a special connection to our second home in Toronto and I feel fortunate to carry on my dad’s legacy and represent an entire country.
“I am very proud to wear the maple leaf.”
The deal, which in all likelihood will make Guerrero a Blue Jay for the entirety of his career, was a long time coming. The Jays opted not to extend him until this week, opening the possibility of seeing him walk to free agency following the 2025 season.
But the front office under the lead of Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins continued to work for deal, despite Guerrero’s self-imposed deadline of Feb. 18 to cut off talks.
“Franchise players like Vlad don’t come along very often,” Atkins said in a statement. “He has already reached impressive performance levels and his future is even brighter.
“Vlad has been embraced by the City of Toronto and Canada since day one and we’re thrilled he’s with us for the long term. His ability to excel at the pinnacle of the game is matched by his passion for it and the joy he brings to the field every day.”
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.