Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wants to be a Blue Jay for life

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wants to be a Blue Jay for life

Toronto Blue Jays infielder Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has already established himself as one of the best young hitters across MLB, playing a huge part in buoying the franchise to two of their four postseason appearances since 1993.

Guerrero will also be due for an extension soon, and in a sit-down interview with Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae, Guerrero knows where his heart lies.

“I want to spend all my life here (in Toronto),” he said.

“That is what it is,” Guerrero said. “I’m here to play ball, and whatever happens, happens. … I know who I am and the time is going to come.”

"I want to spend all my life here." 👀

Vladdy on being a Blue Jay long-term. pic.twitter.com/4QPgWtGGZw

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 8, 2023

This isn’t the only time Guerrero has voiced wanting to re-sign long-term in Toronto. Here is what he told MLB insider Hector Gomez last September, before the offseason.

“I’m open to signing a long-term deal with the Blue Jays,” he said. “I feel really happy playing here. I hope something can be done about it this offseason.”

https://twitter.com/hgomez27/status/1570494617833082881?s=20

Guerrero, 24, sports a career slash line of .286/.360/.507 — equating to an .867 OPS (136 OPS+) — with 106 home runs and 316 RBIs. He finished second in the AL MVP Voting behind Shohei Ohtani in 2021 after sporting an American League-best 1.002 OPS (167 OPS+) and an MLB-most 48 home runs.

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Guerrero is already off to a terrific start this season, slashing .419/.500/.645 (1.145 OPS; 222 OPS+) with one double, two home runs, six RBIs, one stolen base and five walks to just two strikeouts in 38 plate appearances entering Saturday.

It would behoove Toronto to sign Guerrero, who becomes a free agent after the 2025 season, to a long-term deal sooner rather than later, since the price tag will likely only go up. The Jays only have three guaranteed contracts on the books for the 2026 season: George Springer ($24.2M), Kevin Gausman ($23M) and Jose Berrios ($18.7M), per Spotrac.

The 24-year-old slugger has two years of arbitration left, and will enter free agency the same year as middle infielder Bo Bichette, another pillar to the Blue Jays’ young core. Guerrero’s not a full-time corner infielder, also logging plate appearances as a designated hitter, which might take a few dollars out of his hands when an extension is on the table.

Regardless, a long-term deal for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. could be worth up to $250+ million, with nobody in the organization more deserving of a substantial pay-raise.

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