Report: Guerrero Jr. seeking $500 million in present day value from Blue Jays
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Toronto Blue Jays superstar slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is seeking $500 million in present day value for his next contract, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Guerrero, who turns 26 on Sunday, will be a free agent next winter and set a Feb. 18 deadline to get a deal done with the Blue Jays ahead of spring training.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports 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.
Rosenthal added the Guerrero "dropped his resistance to deferrals" as the mid-February deadline approached, but still wanted the extension to be worth at least $500 million in present day value.
Guerrero told ESPN last week that he's seeking at least 14 years and that the latest counteroffer was 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.
Guerrero, who was born in Montreal, has spent his entire six-year career with the Blue Jays, making four All-Stars teams and winning two Silver Slugger Awards.
The first baseman hit .323 with 30 home runs and 103 RBIs over 159 games last season, also producing an .396 on-base percentage, a .940 OPS and 6.2 WAR.
Over 819 career games, Guerrero Jr. is hitting .288 with 160 homers and 507 RBIs. He has a career .363 on-base percentage and a .863 OPS.
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani signed the largest contract in MLB history - $700 million over 10 years - ahead of the 2024 season. The deal also included massive deferrals.