Guerrero Jr. remains open to contract discussions with Blue Jays, 'optimistic' about potential deal

Toronto Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro spoke very confidently about the team's intent to sign superstar slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a long-term extension on Thursday, and Guerrero struck a similar tone to reporters after the team's 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

“I’ve always felt good about the whole thing,” the four-time All-Star first baseman said, per the New York Post. “I’m good with that. Just going to keep working very hard and be optimistic, too. Not going to shut the door on them."

This is a stark change in tone for Guerrero after the self-imposed deadline he set for negotiations to end at the start of spring training on Feb. 18.

"This is business. It's hard," Guerrero said via interpreter Hector Lebron on Feb. 18. "They're trying to do their part and I tried to do my part. No hard feelings whatsoever."

Guerrero set the deadline with the intent of not allowing the negotiations to be a distraction during the regular season.

As the story developed in the following weeks, it became more clear that that would be easier said than done.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported earlier in March that the Jays offered Guerrero around $500 million ahead of his deadline, but the deal included significant deferrals which devalued its worth to somewhere between $400 million, and $450 million. 

Guerrero told ESPN that he's seeking at least 14 years in term and that the latest offer from the Jays was for far less than Juan Soto, who received a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million deal from the New York Mets. A 14-year, $500 million contract would be worth $35.71 million per season, nearly $16 million less than Soto's yearly salary hit. 

"It's much less than Soto. We're talking about many fewer millions than Soto, more than a hundred million less...It was the same number of years [as Soto's contract], but it didn't reach [$600 million]. The last number we gave them as a counteroffer didn't reach 600," Guerrero told ESPN.

"I know the business. I lowered the salary demands a bit, but I also lowered the number of years. ... I'm looking for 14 [years]. I would like 14, 15, even 20 if they give them to me, but doing it the right way."

ESPN's Buster Olney reported on Wednesday the two sides were about $50 million apart when talks broke down. 

Shapiro takes a firm stance

"I think we're going to sign him. I think we're going to extend him," Shapiro said Thursday morning, per MLB.com's Keegan Matheson. "The reason I feel that way is because we have such a clear alignment on the desired outcome."

Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins spoke of their disappointment when the deal was not struck by Feb. 18.

"We worked very hard and the motivation is still there," said Atkins. "I'm confident that every thought, idea we had — every dollar that we had — was communicated. But we're obviously disappointed to not have gotten that done. 

"It doesn't change our desire. We will certainly be motivated and remain motivated."

Shapiro's tone was decidedly more positive on Thursday.

"There just aren't that many players any more who are signed, developed, born in the country of Canada and play their whole career in one place, in one uniform. I call those guys legacy players," Shapiro said. 

"My origins in the game are dotted with those players, from Brooks Robinson to Cal Ripken Jr. to Kirby Puckett. Those are players that, for me, defined what it meant to be a baseball fan. That's the fabric of why I'm in the game today. This is a guy who has the chance to do that here."

The quality of the player weighs heavily in the negotiations as well for Shapiro.

"I would say the only other thing that actually sells tickets in the hundreds of thousands is winning. There are players who have magnetic personalities, like Vlad, who amplify winning and can really help, but fans don't come to see great players on a losing team. We need to win to have fans come in the largest numbers possible. Vlad is a part of helping us win and he's a player that has a chance to be a very special player for a generation of Blue Jays fans."

Where can the negotiations go from here

Guerrero is coming off of a season in which he hit .323 with 30 home runs and 103 runs batted in that earned him sixth place in American League MVP voting.

It was the second season of his career in which he finished in the top 10, the other being the 2021 campaign when he led the majors in home runs (48) and finished second in MVP voting.

A repeat of those efforts would go a long way to securing the largest contract in Blue Jays franchise history for Guerrero - which is where his focus remains this season.

“I’m going to leave that to my agents to work [on a contract extension]," Guerrero said to the New York Post on Thursday. "If there’s something there, they’re going to continue to work with that. I’m just going to be on the field, focusing on my teammates, on my team, on my game.”

Toronto gets their regular season underway on March 27 with a matchup against the Baltimore Orioles at home.