Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 of the Toronto Blue Jays signs his contract extension during a press conference at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on April 14, 2025. Mark Blinch/Getty Images
Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., after signing a historic contract, wants to “give the love back” to his birthplace.
Guerrero is the son of Baseball Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero and was born in Montreal while his father was playing for the Montreal Expos.
On Monday, he signed a 14-year, $500 million extension, the largest in Blue Jays history and the third largest in the MLB. In a press conference after signing, Vlad Jr., who has been with the organization since he was 16, said he is going to be a “Blue Jay forever.”
“I would think about this always since [I] signed here,” Guerrero—who usually uses a translator in press interviews—said in English on Monday. “I always [thought I was going to] be a Blue Jay forever and that’s what happened today. We thank God we did and I’m [going to] be a Blue Jay forever.”
Guerrero thanked his family, teammates, coaches, his agent, and the Blue Jays organization for supporting him throughout the process. He also praised the fans, citing them as one reason he has chosen to stay with the organization for so long.
“I see this organization, I see this like I’m a family,” he said. “I’ve been with this organization since 2015. It’s 10 years. So this organization is part of my family.”
Guerrero was ranked as the #4 international free agent by MLB.com in 2015. He was signed to the Blue Jays organization at age 16 in 2015.
He played his first two seasons with the Bluefield Blue Jays, a Rookie Advanced Minor League affiliate of the team. He moved up to Class A with the Lansing Lugnuts in 2017, then moved to the Advanced-A Dunedin Blue Jays later in the same year.
He was rated as the top prospect in the Blue Jays system in 2018 and moved up again to the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats in March. He was moved up again into the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons in July. He was transferred to the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League in August.
Guerrero was called up to the Major Leagues in April 2019, considered the top prospect in the nation at the time. He became the youngest Blue Jays player to hit a home run at 20 years and 59 days on May 14 against the San Francisco Giants.
He finished his rookie season with a .272 batting percentage, a .339 on-base percentage (OBP), and a .433 slug percentage; he had 15 home runs and 69 RBIs in 464 at-bats. He was sixth in Rookie of the Year voting.
Guerrero made his first All-Star in 2021. He led the American League in runs scored with 123 and led the MLB with 48 homers and 363 total bases. His .401 OBP, .601 slug percentage, and 1.002 OPS were all best in the AL.
He won the Silver Slugger, the Hank Aaron award, and the Tip O'Neill award, and became part of the second father-son duo to hit 40 home runs in a season.
He followed the trophy-laden 2021 campaign with a second All-Star nod in 2022 and a Gold Glove for his defensive performance at first base. He won a third All-Star nod in 2023 and a fourth in 2024, along with a second Silver Slugger.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) of the Toronto Blue Jays after hitting a two-run home run against the Los Angeles Angels in the ninth inning in Anaheim, Calif., on Aug. 14, 2024. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Guerrero’s contract was the subject of controversy since he joined the Majors. The Blue Jays kept him in the minor leagues for the first two weeks of the season so he could not become a free agent until 2025.
His contract went to pre-arbitration in 2019, 2020, and 2021, and avoided arbitration in 2022, 2023, and 2024. He signed a $28.5 million contract early this season to avoid arbitration. He agreed to the long-term deal on April 9. The contract has an average salary of $35.7 million, according to Spotrac, and keeps him on the team until 2040.
“I [was] born here,” Guerrero said. “This is my second house. I spend a lot of time here in Toronto and Canada, and...when the country [gives] you love, you got to give the love back. And that’s what I’m doing right now, giving all the love [they’ve given] to me.”
John Rigolizzo
Author
John Rigolizzo is a writer from South Jersey. He previously wrote for the Daily Caller, Daily Wire, Campus Reform, and the America First Policy Institute.
