Vladimir Guerrero Jr. speaks on contract negotiations; slugger says he's "ready to go" on long-term deal.
The king has spoken.
On a recent episode of Abriendo Sports , a Spanish Language sports podcast, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was asked about ongoing contract extension talks with the TToronto Blue Jays.
Spanish baseball analyst Mike Rodriguez quoted Guerrero Jr. as saying that Toronto's offer was not even close to what he was looking for? Which begs the question... how much does Vlad want?
It came out earlier this month that Guerrero Jr. had turned down a $340MM offer from the Blue Jays.. While it's length was unknown, the two sides might not be as far apart as it would.
Spotrac has Vlad valued at around $38 million. Translated into a 12-year deal, and the Blue Jays are looking at roughly $460 Million. A ten year contract at $340 million is $34MM per year, only 4 four million less than Vlad's alleged value.
It's also no surprise that Vlad doesn't want to negotiate once spring training starts. Such tactics are not uncommon with players, especially stars, who don't want to be burdened by off-field distractions.
It's a catch-22 for many. If no deal is done and Vladdy has a monster year, his value will only go up. If he regresses even slightly to his 2022-2023 seasons, which were still objectively good, he might not command the $38MM/year Spotrac has him valued at.
It's a calculated risk for all involved.
For reference, Manny Machadosigned an 11 year deal worth $350MM and Rafael Devers inked a 10 year, $313MM deal.
Even when Jose Bautista signed his extension in 2011, it was for only $64MM. So, as Blue Jays insider Shi Davidi has said, the Blue Jays will need to step out of their comfort zone to get this deal done. He also noted that Vlad may have to sacrifice some upside.
As MLB insider Jeff Passan has noted, many teams are hesitant to go above six years, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr.. is a player that the Blue Jays would do that for.
So while no deal is imminent, there is a while to go before spring training. Anything can happen.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 22 | 298 ANSWERS Vladimir Guerrero Jr. speaks on contract negotiations; slugger says he's "ready to go" on long-term deal. How much will Vlad Jr. earn? | ||
| $300-400 Million | 42 | 14.1 % |
| $400-500 Million | 190 | 63.8 % |
| More than 500 | 63 | 21.1 % |
| less than 300 | 3 | 1 % |
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