The Toronto Blue Jays have made another offer to first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., ESPN reported on Opening Day on Thursday.
The star slugger’s contract expires after this season but “a gap still remains between the two sides,” according to the latest report.
It’s not clear whether talks will continue, although team president Mark Shapiro expressed confidence last week that a deal will get done before Guerrero becomes a free agent in the fall.
“I think we’re going to sign him. I think we’re going to extend him,” Shapiro told reporters 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.”
Guerrero reportedly is seeking a $500 million deal and the Blue Jays were said to be about $50 million short of that mark in previous offers.
Guerrero, 26, had a self-imposed deadline of Feb. 17 to reach a contract extension. The sides avoided arbitration earlier in the offseason when they came to terms on a one-year, $28.5 million deal.
“I’m going to leave that to my agents to work with that,” he said earlier this month about the negotiations. “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.”
Guerrero turned in a fourth straight All-Star season, captured his second Silver Slugger Award and finished sixth in American League MVP voting in 2024. He hit .323 with a .396 on-base percentage, a .544 slugging percentage, 30 homers and 103 RBIs in 159 games.
Through six major league seasons with the Blue Jays, Guerrero owns a .288/.363/.500 batting line with 160 homers and 507 RBIs in 819 games.
Toronto opens the 2025 season on Thursday afternoon at home against the Baltimore Orioles.
–Field Level Media
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