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Toronto Blue Jays Officially Announce Blockbuster Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Extension

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. put pen to paper this week, inking a 14-year, $500 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays that will keep him around until he is 40 years old.
Sam Connon|
New York City, New York, USA; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) flips his bat after flying out in the third inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field.
New York City, New York, USA; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) flips his bat after flying out in the third inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

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Toronto Blue Jays

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was very explicit about his plans for the future on Wednesday.

"I'm not leaving," he said in a video posted by the Toronto Blue Jays.

Reports first surfaced late Sunday night that 26-year-old first baseman had agreed to a 14-year, $500 million contract with the Blue Jays. A few days later, the two sides finally made it official, publicly announcing the largest contract in franchise history and one of the richest deals ever in professional sports.

Per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, Guerrero will receive a $325 million signing bonus as part of the agreement, which does not include any salary deferrals. The contract’s $35.71 million average annual value is what will count against the Blue Jays’ luxury tax number, however.

Guerrero initially signed with the Blue Jays as a teenager back in July 2015. Even though he was coming over from the Domincan Republic at the time, he was actually born in Canada when his Hall of Fame father, Valdimir Guerrero, was playing for the Montreal Expos.

Now, instead of heading into free agency this fall, Guerrero is slated to remain with the club until he is 40 years old.

The Blue Jays posted a separate, more heavily-edited video narrated by Guerrero, explaining his emotional connection to Toronto.

"This was always home," Guerrero said. "This is where I first fell in love with the game, where my childhood dream got closer to reality, where I learned to be a pro, where the dream of becoming a baseball player like my dad came true. From day one, you have embraced me as one of yours. We have many memories together that I will remember forever, but we still have many more memories to make. Memories we will make together for the years to come. This was always my home. I am home."

Guerrero hit .323 with 30 home runs, 44 doubles, 103 RBIs, a .940 OPS and 6.2 WAR in 2024. He made his fourth straight All-Star appearance, made the All-MLB First Team for the second time and won his second career Silver Slugger, all while finishing sixth in AL MVP voting.

So far in 2025, Guerrero is batting .255 with three doubles, four RBIs, a .665 OPS and a 0.3 WAR.

For his career, Guerrero is a .287 hitter with an .860 OPS, averaging 31 home runs, 35 doubles, 100 RBIs and a 4.2 WAR per 162 games.

Guerrero and the Blue Jays face off against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, with first pitch scheduled for 6:45 p.m. ET.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

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