The Blue Jays have made another offer in their contract negotiations with first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but a gap still remains between the two sides, according to a report from ESPN¡¯s Buster Olney.
Guerrero, who will be eligible to test free agency at the end of the 2025 season, initially set a Feb. 18 deadline for extension talks. That date came and went without an agreement, and Guerrero said that the two sides were never close to a deal.
However, the club remains hopeful that an agreement can be reached before Guerrero hits the open market.
"I think we're going to sign him. I think we're going to extend him,¡± Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro said on March 20. ¡°We have such a clear alignment on the desired outcome. Vlad wants to play his whole career as a Toronto Blue Jay. We want him to end his career in a Blue Jays uniform and be a true legacy player for the Toronto Blue Jays. That¡¯s a pretty good place to start.¡±
It¡¯s unclear how far apart the two sides are at this juncture.
In a Spanish-language interview with ESPN¡¯s Enrique Rojas and Ernesto Jerez in early March, Guerrero refuted claims that he was looking for a deal comparable to the 15-year, $765 million contract Juan Soto signed with the Mets in December, saying instead that his final counteroffer to the Blue Jays was for less than $600 million over 14 years.
The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal later reported that Guerrero is seeking $500 million in present-day value.
According to the New York Post¡¯s Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman, the Blue Jays¡¯ final offer before Guerrero¡¯s deadline was ¡°about $500 million¡± with deferrals that would have reduced the present-day value to between $400 million and $450 million.