By Aidan Sinclair
After a tumultuous off-season that brought a new sense of hope with the signings of slugger Anthony Santander, All-Star closer Jeff Hoffman and World Series champion Max Scherzer, the Blue Jays looked poised to extend Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Instead, they couldn’t agree on a final number, allowing the deadline that Guerrero Jr set for the franchise to expire and likely sending the slugger to free agency next winter.
Guerrero Jr. has been a part of the Blue Jays organization since 2015 when he signed on as an international prospect from the Dominican Republic and has been on the major league roster since 2019. He has become the biggest superstar Toronto has seen since fan-favourite Jose Bautista—who left the team in 2017—and since his debut in 2019, the front office has been unable to extend him to a multi-year contract.
In the final days heading up to the beginning of Spring Training—Guerrero Jr.’s deadline—fans received few updates on the progression of extension talks, simply hearing that conversations went “smoothly” or “positively”. Guerrero Jr. reported to camp in Dunedin this morning and announced to the media that no deal was in place. Unless the Jays meet Guerrero Jr.'s number at a point during this season, all 30 franchises will have the opportunity to speak with him when free agency opens after the conclusion of this upcoming season.
Fans have voiced their displeasure with how this front office run by general manager Ross Atkins and president Mark Shapiro have constructed the team over the past half-decade. This was a period that was supposed to be the most exciting in recent memory, full of youthful talent ready to take the Jays to the next level. While that potential was somewhat realized in the early 2020’s, early playoff exits and historic implosions never amounted to a playoff series win. Now, Toronto will go into the 2025 season with both Guerrero Jr. and star shortstop Bo Bichette reaching the final year of their current contracts.
According to Blue Jays insider Keegan Matheson, Guerrero Jr. said he and Toronto were never “close” on an extension while Shapiro and Atkins critiqued what “close” really means. They weren’t even on the same page for today’s press conference.
After Guerrero Jr.’s historic campaign in 2021 where he hit 48 home runs and finished second in MVP voting, the Jays offered him a contract worth $150 million over seven years. That same off-season, Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres signed a 14-year, $340 million contract to remain in San Diego. Since that off-season, the Jays have been in negotiation with Guerrero Jr., but never appeased him enough to put pen to paper. They have low-balled their superstar, refused to call him a generational talent and couldn’t offer him whatever money he wanted to keep him in Toronto. It didn’t help when fellow Dominican superstar Juan Soto signed with the New York Mets this past off-season for $765 million over 15 years, inflating Guerrero Jr.’s market.
So what does this mean for the Blue Jays going forward? They have been regressing for three years since their playoff collapse in 2022 and with no extension in place, it’s hard to say what the team will look like in 2026 and beyond?
A major factor in the extension was the promise of having a generational player who could attract other free agents to the ball club for years to come. If Guerrero Jr. leaves, who will want to join a new team with no direction? Multiple superstars have already proven Toronto is not their first choice—Shohei Ohtani, Roki Sasaki, Corbin Burnes and the aforementioned Soto have all turned down deals to play in Toronto over just the past two off-seasons.
The narrative for the 2025 Blue Jays will now revolve around the future of Guerrero Jr. and what direction the team decides to take. If the team struggles in the first half, could they trade him at the deadline? If he does reach free agency, where will he sign? And if so, how will the Blue Jays respond? The questions are endless and the answers remain nowhere in sight. The Jays have a lot of work to do to get out of an already spiralling trajectory for the season and fix the sour taste left in fans’ mouths this week.
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