Superstar first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays reached an agreement on a massive 14-year, $500 million contract, the team announced. It includes a whopping $325 million signing bonus that can be distributed across those 14 seasons.
Here’s a breakdown of the rest of Vlad Jr.’s contract, via major-league sources:
Year | AAV (Annual value) |
|---|---|
2026 | $17 million |
2027 | $17 million |
2028 | $16 million |
2029 | $15 million |
2030 | $14.5 million |
2031 | $14.5 million |
2032 | $14.5 million |
2033 | $12.5 million |
2034 | $12.5 million |
2035 | $11.5 million |
2036 | $10.5 million |
2037 | $7 million |
2038 | $6.25 million |
2039 | $6.25 million |
The Blue Jays will pick up more salary relief as the years go by, but Guerrero Jr.'s contract is a significant financial commitment when taking his signing bonus and incentives into account.
I've included more details on those below.
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Inside the Blue Jays Vladimir Guerrero Jr. contract negotiations
The incentives include $150,000 for MVP ($125,000 for second, $100,000 for third). $50,000 for All-Star, $50,000 for Gold Glove, $50,000 for Silver Slugger, $50,000 for World Series MVP and $25,000 for ALCS MVP. The contract also includes a full no-trade clause.
Once Vlad Jr. and the Blue Jays didn’t reach an agreement by his deadline in spring training, he appeared primed for free agency. Afterwards, team president Mark Shapiro continued to express optimism about a deal being reached – and by April 6, the two sides agreed to a contract that will keep the slugger in Toronto for the remainder of his career.
Asked if there was a turning point in negotiations, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins told reporters: “not one.” He added: “Every deal there’s so many different levers to pull. It’s not just about the $500 million number. There’s a lot of complexity to these deals. And so we were fortunate to find one that worked for everyone.”