Blue Jays Make New Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Decision After $500 Million News
Toronto Blue Jays infielder Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been one of MLB’s biggest offseason topics. Unable to reach a contract extension ahead of his seventh season in Toronto, Guerrero will enter free agency after the 2025 World Series. Just turning 26 years old, Guerrero is coming off a sixth-place finish in the American League MVP race. Posting a .940 OPS and driving in 103 runs, Guerrero felt this production was worthy of a contract he claims the Blue Jays did not come close to offering (via ESPN’s Jeff Passan).
It has since been revealed what the four-time All-Star is seeking on his next deal.
Per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Guerrero wants at least $500 million in present value. The New York Post reported Toronto offered “about” that much, but with significant deferrals that brought the present value to between $400 million and $450 million.
While this news makes it possible Guerrero is entering his final season in Toronto, the Blue Jays still have decisions to make on how to best utilize him in 2025. One of those decisions was made on Saturday, as Blue Jays manager John Schneider revealed Guerrero will not be used as a designated hitter much at all. Posing the question of who will serve as Toronto’s designated hitter, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com wrote, “Let’s start with who it won’t be … at least not very often: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.”
On this topic, Schneider said, “I know Vlad hates it. He told me he doesn’t want to DH until the second half of the season already.”
A 2022 Gold Glove Award winner, Guerrero wants to play in the field every day. In his six-year MLB career, Guerrero has served as a designated hitter 171 times, with 29 of those coming last season.
Blue Jays ink key player to contract extension, but it isn’t Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Ever since the 2024 offseason began, all eyes have been on Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in Toronto Blue Jays land, and it isn’t hard to see why. Guerrero, the best and most popular player on the team, is set to enter his final year under club control, meaning he’ll be a free agent at the end of the 2025 season if he doesn’t sign an extension.
He had expressed a willingness to sign an extension to remain in Toronto for the remainder of his career if the Blue Jays met his demands, but Toronto never even came close in his mind. Guerrero was reportedly looking for over $500 million in present-day value, but the Jays did not offer more than $450 million.
When a notification from FanSided’s Robert Murray popped up saying that the Blue Jays had agreed to an extension, Toronto fans had hoped it involved Guerrero. While that dream did not come to fruition, the Blue Jays did come to terms on an extension with another key member of their organization, Alejandro Kirk.
BREAKING: Alejandro Kirk and the Toronto Blue Jays are in agreement on a five-year, $58 million contract extension, source says. The structure, which includes a signing bonus and no club options, allows him to enter free agency after his age-31 season. Kirk is represented by Eric…
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) March 23, 2025
Murray notes that the deal is for five years and $58 million. There are no options, so Kirk will enter free agency after completing his age-31 season
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Blue Jays don’t extend Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (yet), but come to terms with different key player
Kirk is not Guerrero, obviously, but he does happen to be one of the more underrated catchers in the American League. He was an All-Star in 2022 and while he hasn’t quite played at that level since, he’s rock-solid behind the dish.
This past season saw Kirk slash .253/.319/.359 with five home runs and 54 RBI in 103 games played. Kirk hasn’t been outstanding offensively outside of his All-Star campaign but he excels at putting the ball in play and is roughly a league-average hitter, which, for a catcher, isn’t a bad thing, especially when he’s as elite as he is defensively.
