It’s no secret that the Toronto Blue Jays want to extend Vladimir Guerrero Jr., even if the unofficial deadline has passed.
Guerrero, the four-time All-Star first baseman, initially gave the Blue Jays until mid-February to meet his terms on a potential extension. But with the 26-year-old scheduled to hit free agency in November, updates have continued to trickle out.
The Blue Jays losing Guerrero could set them back several years. This is already the most expensive roster they’ve ever had, and it would still be expensive even without Guerrero clogging up payroll. And without him, they’d have a lot of rebuilding to do.
So as Toronto hopes to avoid questions about trading Guerrero at the deadline, or worse, losing him for nothing in free agency, what will it realistically take to get a deal done in the near future?
On Sunday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that the two sides were “inching closer” to a deal, but the most interesting bit of information was the insider’s projection for the likely final dollar amount of the contract.
“The Toronto Blue Jays continue to inch closer to signing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a contract extension, likely a 14- or 15-year deal worth about $500 million, which will be crucial for Blue Jays CEO Mark Shapiro’s popularity in Toronto,” Nightengale wrote.
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“The Blue Jays’ last postseason victory was in 2016, and this is the final year of Shapiro’s contract.”
Though $500 million is significantly less than Juan Soto got from the New York Mets last winter, it’s still a hefty chunk of change. And if the Blue Jays can give Guerrero that amount with no deferred money, there’s reason to believe they can push it over the finish line.
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