The Toronto Blue Jays signed Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a 14-year, $500 million contract extension on Sunday night, thus keeping the expected top free agent in the 2025 class from ever reaching the market. The Blue Jays had so little success convincing MLB's best and brightest available stars to sign in Toronto, the least they can do is keep their own.
Guerrero Jr.'s massive extension will have an impact across baseball. Prior to Vladdy's $500 million deal, the only two contracts that lucrative – Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto – were outliers due to talent level and deferrals. Guerrero Jr.'s contract is straight up and includes no deferrals. The Blue Jays will pay him in full across 14 seasons, when the deal expires. Guerrero Jr. will be 40 years old.
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What Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s extension means for Braves and Marcell Ozuna
Without Guerrero Jr. as the centerpiece of it, the 2025 free-agent market is lacking outside of Kyle Tucker, Kyle Schwarber and...Marcell Ozuna. The Atlanta Braves star has hit 39 and 40 home runs in back-to-back seasons, and recorded over 100 RBIs. Ozuna plate prowess has never been a question, but he does come with some off-field concerns and doesn't contribute defensively.
“I don’t think on that,”Ozuna told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about his upcoming free agent year. “I just come in and give you my best, as usual, and then play the game, just have fun. I don’t put pressure. I just go.”
Ozuna is unlikely to command a contract similar to Guerrero Jr.'s, barring he doesn't have a breakout, NL MVP-level season for the Braves. That leaves Alex Anthopoulos with a tough choice to make.
Can the Braves still afford to sign Marcell Ozuna?
The market for top-tier power hitters will be slim, which works in Ozuna's favor. Anthopoulos is smart enough not to get in a bidding war for a player as unpredictable as Ozuna, who is a defensive liability and has a DUI and domestic violence charge to his name.
Ozuna is playing on a $16 million club option in 2025. He'll demand close to least double that at the start of MLB free agency, assuming he has another 40-plus home run season. If the Braves can sign him to a short-term deal, then perhaps Anthopoulos will bite. However, Ozuna is 34 years old and not getting any younger.
Perhaps Anthopoulos old friend in Toronto, Ross Atkins, did him a favor by raising the price tag beyond Atlanta's means. It'll make for an easy decision this coming winter.