Vladimir Guerrero Jr. signs 14-year extension with Blue Jays

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. signs 14-year extension with Blue Jays

Star slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a 14-year, $500 million extension, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was among the first to report Sunday night. The deal will not include any deferrals.

MLB insider Mike Rodriguez first reported Friday afternoon that the two sides were agreeing to an extension worth more than $500 million.

Guerrero, 26, was in the last year of his deal and was going to be one of the sought-after free agents next winter. He revealed last month that the number he presented to the organization was less than $600 million, over $150 million less than what Juan Soto received from the New York Mets in December.

The Blue Jays did not meet his extension deadline ahead of spring, but it appears the two sides continued to negotiate behind closed doors. Sometimes, you have to overpay to keep your guy in town–and that’s exactly what Toronto had to do to keep their prized slugger. Few “big-time” free agents weren’t willing to take the Blue Jays’ money over the last several offseasons. With Guerrero in town for the rest of his career, building a winner could become more feasible, even though it’s still easier said than done.

When he’s right, Guerrero is one of the best bats in MLB. He projects to be a long-term DH, but he’s slashed .293/.370/.517 over the last four seasons with two silver slugger awards and two top-6 finishes in the AL MVP race. Credit to Blue Jays brass for maintaining the belief to keep Guerrero and executing. They would’ve been sunk without him.

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This is a breaking news story. Stay tuned for updates.

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