Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays finalized their $500 million, 14-year contract that starts in 2026, a deal with a record $325 million signing bonus that protects the money from a possible work stoppage in 2027.
Toronto announced the deal Wednesday and scheduled a news conference for Monday at the Rogers Centre ahead of its next home game.
The signing bonus includes $20 million payable within 30 days of the agreement’s approval by Major League Baseball. The remainder of the signing bonus is payable during the length of the contract.
“This is a monumental moment in franchise history,” Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro said in a statement. “Vlad has been part of our Blue Jays family since he was 16 years old and has captured the heart of our city and country. There are very 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 it all began. The name Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will forever be synonymous with the Toronto Blue Jays.”
, and the four-time All-Star first baseman had said he . Still, talks with his agent continued well into the regular season.
Guerrero got the third-largest contract in total dollars behind that started this season and two-way star that began last year and is heavily deferred.
Guerrero’s $35.71 million average annual value under the new deal ranks eighth among current contracts behind the agreements of Ohtani ($70 million), Soto ($51 million), Philadelphia pitcher Zack Wheeler ($42 million), Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge ($40 million), Texas pitcher Jacob deGrom ($37 million), Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell ($36.4 million) and Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole ($36 million).
A son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, the Blue Jays star turned 26 last month and would have been a free agent this fall at a relatively young age.
“He’s always been driven and he’s been pretty open about saying he wants to be as good or better than his dad, which is saying a lot,” Schneider said.
The younger Guerrero is a .287 career hitter with 160 homers and 511 RBIs. He is batting .255 with no homers and four RBIs in the first 12 games this season.
Seeking its first World Series title since winning championships in 1992 and 1993, Toronto notably failed to land Ohtani, Soto and Roki Sasaki. The Blue Jays agreed to a ; a ; and a .
Toronto shortstop Bo Bichette, a two-time All-Star, remains eligible for free agency after this year’s World Series.
Guerrero’s deal leaves Kyle Tucker and Pete Alonso among the top players eligible for free agency this offseason.
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