TORONTO - Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had big dreams when he signed with the club as a 16-year-old a decade ago.聽
Those thoughts have become reality with the only big-league franchise he has ever known.聽
Friends, family, teammates and members of the team's front office joined him at Rogers Centre for a celebratory news conference Monday after he signed a 14-year contract extension worth US$500 million.
"I'd always think, 'I'm going to be a Blue Jay forever' and that's what happened today," Guerrero said in a packed media conference room. "Thank God we did it and I'm going to be a Blue Jay forever."
News that the two sides had agreed to a deal first broke a week ago. The Blue Jays confirmed the signing last Wednesday when the team was on the road.
Guerrero is a homegrown face of the franchise who has been one of the sport's more impactful players since making his big-league debut in 2019.
The four-time all-star's extension begins next year and will last through the 2039 campaign when he'll be 40 years old.
"This is an incredibly special day for all of our fans and for the Blue Jays organization," said team president Mark Shapiro. "It's really a historic moment."
The deal is the most lucrative in team history, far surpassing the $150-million, six-year deal that outfielder George Springer signed as a free agent in January 2021.
The extension is the third largest deal in total dollars behind Juan Soto's MLB-record $765-million, 15-year deal and Shohei Ohtani's $700-million, 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers that began last year and is heavily deferred.
Guerrero is in the final year of his current contract that pays him $28.5 million. Without an extension, he could have hit the open market as a free agent this fall.
"I believed passionately that Vlad wanted to be here and we wanted him here," said Blue Jays chair Edward Rogers. "I believed it would get done. A deal of this size takes time. We had the right people on it."
As part of the extension, Guerrero received a record $325-million signing bonus payable in 15 instalments from 2025-39, according to contract details obtained by The Associated Press.聽
The Blue Jays last won the World Series in 1993. They reached the wild-card round in three of the last five seasons but haven't won a post-season game since 2016.
Toronto is coming off a last-place finish in the American League East. The Blue Jays, who started the day on top of the division standings at 9-7, were scheduled to host the Atlanta Braves on Monday night.
"It's awesome," said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. "There's different parts of this organization's history that people grasp on to, definitely. The World Series (titles), Joe Carter, '15 and '16, and players come and players go.聽
"(For) the fanbase to have somebody that they can really relate to and that their kids can relate to is special."
Former Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos signed Guerrero back in July 2015.
The Montreal native, who represents the Dominican Republic internationally, hit .323 last season with 30 homers and 103 RBIs.聽
Guerrero hit .311 with 48 homers and 111 RBIs in 2021 to finish second in AL MVP voting behind Ohtani, then with the Los Angeles Angels.
Entering play against the Braves, Guerrero was still looking for his first homer of the year. Over his first 16 games, he hit .302 with seven RBIs.
The two-time Silver Slugger was named All-Star Game MVP in 2021, won a Gold Glove in 2022, and was a Home Run Derby champion in 2023.
Guerrero's $35.71-million average annual value under the new deal ranks eighth among current contracts. Ohtani ($70 million) leads the way in AAV with Soto ($51 million) behind him.
"I am always going to remember this day," Guerrero said. "To see my family with me and to see my teammates with me, I feel like this is special. I don鈥檛 know how to explain how I feel right now."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2025.聽
With files from The Associated Press.
