DUNEDIN, Fla. — First baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays failed to come to terms on a contract extension by his Monday night deadline, paving the way for the 25-year-old star to hit free agency in November.
“They have their numbers; I have my numbers,” Guerrero said Tuesday.
Guerrero, a four-time All-Star and son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, said he had set a deadline of 9 p.m. Monday, but the last call from the Blue Jays came at 10:30 p.m. When asked if the team was close to what he was asking, Guerrero simply said, “No.”
General manager Ross Atkins, meanwhile, said the Blue Jays’ offers were “very, very aggressive.”
“I am confident that we exhausted the communication, the ideas, the thoughts and communicated every dollar,” Atkins said Tuesday. “… The offers that we made for Vlad would’ve been record-setting and would’ve made him one of the highest-paid players in the game.”
Without a deal in place, Guerrero said he plans to cut off talks and play out the season as an impending free agent, but he also said later that he “won’t close the door” on a “realistic” offer from the Blue Jays.
“Listen, I want to be here. I want to be a Blue Jay for the rest of my career,” Guerrero said. “But it’s free agency. It’s business. So I’m going to have to listen to 29 more teams and they’re going to have to compete for that.”
“I am confident that we exhausted the communication, the ideas, the thoughts and communicated every dollar,” Atkins said Tuesday. “… The offers that we made for Vlad would’ve been record-setting and would’ve made him one of the highest-paid players in the game.”
Without a deal in place, Guerrero said he plans to cut off talks and play out the season as an impending free agent, but he also said later that he “won’t close the door” on a “realistic” offer from the Blue Jays.
“Listen, I want to be here. I want to be a Blue Jay for the rest of my career,” Guerrero said. “But it’s free agency. It’s business. So I’m going to have to listen to 29 more teams and they’re going to have to compete for that.”
Atkins said the Blue Jays would be respectful of Guerrero’s wishes and that “we’ll never close any doors.
Guerrero said the Blue Jays had known about his deadline since last season, and he didn’t want negotiations to carry into spring training and become a distraction.
“I don’t want — especially my teammates — to go through any distractions,” Guerrero said. “I’m here today, I’m ready and want to win a lot of games, and I want to make it to the playoffs. That’s all.”
Toronto could explore a trade for Guerrero, who would warrant one of the biggest returns in recent memory. The Blue Jays, sources said, are more inclined to start the season with Guerrero in their lineup and reassess the possibility of a trade as the July deadline approaches.
“We feel like we have a great team,” Atkins said. “Vladdy is a very big part of it, and Vladdy will remain a very big part of it.”
Guerrero, meanwhile, said there’s no animosity toward the Jays’ front office.
“I love the city. I love the fans,” Guerrero said. “I mean, it’s hard, but at the end of the day, like I say, it’s business. I’ll do everything that I have to stay here with the Blue Jays. I love it here. I want to be here.”
Over his six seasons in Toronto, Guerrero has developed into one of the game’s most fearsome hitters. Last season, he hit .323/.396/.544 with 30 home runs and 103 RBIs. And come November, big-market suitors are expected to lavish him with some of the largest contract offers in baseball history.
Leave a Reply