Vladimir Guerrero Jr. set a February deadline for contract negotiations with the Blue Jays, but Toronto always held out hope it could still work out a long-term deal with its star before he hit free agency. On Sunday, their persistence was finally rewarded.
Guerrero and the Blue Jays agreed to a massive extension on Sunday night, finalizing a deal that will keep the former No. 1 prospect in Toronto through 2039.Â
While Guerrero has hit some bumps along the way, he was the AL MVP runner-up in 2021 and returned to form in 2024, batting .323 with 30 home runs and a .940 OPS. That production came with a cost for the Blue Jays, as Guerrero’s value skyrocketed ahead of the final year of his rookie contract.
With plenty of money to throw around, however, Toronto got a deal done.
Here are the details of Guerrero’s new contract and where it ranks among the biggest in MLB history.
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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. contract details
Guerrero agreed to a 14-year, $500 million contract extension with the Blue Jays, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported.Â
The deal, which is set to start in 2026, would run through Guerrero’s age-40 season in 2039. There are no deferrals included, and the extension comes with a full no-trade clause.Â
Guerrero didn’t want to negotiate a new deal after the start of spring training, but he said after the deadline passed in February that he was still open to remaining with the Blue Jays long-term. While he admitted in recent days that he was letting his agent handle the negotiations, it became clear that the door was still open for a deal that would keep Guerrero off the free agent market.
Had Guerrero not agreed to a new deal, trade speculation could have followed the Blue Jays into the trade deadline. Guerrero, meanwhile, would have been one of the winter’s premier free agents along with Cubs OF Kyle Tucker.
Guerrero is a four-time All-Star with 160 career home runs and an .862 OPS since breaking into the big leagues in 2019.Â
Biggest contracts in MLB history
Total value
| Player | Total value | Years | Team | Year signed |
| Juan Soto | $765 million | 15 | Mets | 2024 |
| Shohei Ohtani | $700 million | 10 | Dodgers | 2023 |
| Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | $500 million | 14 | Blue Jays | 2025 |
| Mike Trout | $426.5 million | 12 | Angels | 2019 |
| Mookie Betts | $365 million | 12 | Dodgers | 2020 |
| Aaron Judge | $360 million | 9 | Yankees | 2022 |
| Manny Machado | $350 million | 11 | Padres | 2023 |
| Francisco Lindor | $341 million | 10 | Mets | 2021 |
| Fernando Tatis Jr. | $340 million | 14 | Padres | 2021 |
| Bryce Harper | $330 million | 13 | Phillies | 2019 |
Guerrero’s contract is the third-largest in MLB history in terms of total value. The Blue Jays made Guerrero the third $500 million man in league history, joining Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani, who both signed their contracts within the last 18 months.
Average annual value
| Player | Average value | Years | Team | Year signed |
| Shohei Ohtani | $70 million | 10 | Dodgers | 2023 |
| Juan Soto | $51 million | 15 | Mets | 2024 |
| Max Scherzer | $43.3 million | 3 | Mets | 2021 |
| Justin Verlander | $43.3 million | 2 | Mets | 2022 |
| Zack Wheeler | $42 million | 3 | Phillies | 2024 |
| Alex Bregman | $40 million | 3 | Red Sox | 2025 |
| Aaron Judge | $40 million | 9 | Yankees | 2022 |
| Jacob deGrom | $37 million | 5 | Rangers | 2022 |
| Blake Snell | $36.4 million | 5 | Dodgers | 2024 |
| Gerrit Cole | $36 million | 9 | Yankees | 2019 |
The Blue Jays traded length for average annual value, as Guerrero’s $35.7 million annual salary doesn’t even crack the top-10 all-time. While the Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander contracts are no longer active, they are two of six pitchers in the top-10 who signed much shorter deals than Guerrero for more money annually.
Guerrero’s $35.7 million annual salary ranks ninth among active contracts and fifth among hitters, trailing Ohtani, Soto, Alex Bregman and Aaron Judge.
