Another epic MLB bidding war is on the horizon with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. now expected to hit free agency next winter.
The Toronto Blue Jays failed to reach a contract extension with the superstar slugger by his Monday night deadline, so Guerrero plans to play the 2025 season in his final year of club control.
“They had their numbers,” Guerrero said Tuesday. “I had my numbers.”
Asked if the Blue Jays came close to extending him, Guerrero replied, “No.”
Guerrero, who turns 26 next month, boasts four All-Star selections, two Silver Slugger Awards, a .288 average and 160 home runs over six MLB seasons, all with Toronto.
Last year, the righty-swinging first baseman set a career high with 199 hits to go with 30 homers, 103 RBI and a .940 OPS.
Guerrero is set to make $28.5 million this season after avoiding arbitration with the Blue Jays.
Given his age, production and potential interest from big-market teams including the Mets, Yankees and Boston Red Sox, Guerrero is poised for a major payday.
“I want to be a Blue Jay for the rest of my career, but it’s free agency,” Guerrero said. “It’s business. I’m going to have to listen to 29 more teams and they’re going to have to compete with that.”
Guerrero confirmed his representatives met with the Toronto front office in recent days but were unable to get a deal done.
“Obviously, very disappointed,” Toronto general manager Ross Atkins said Tuesday. “We worked very hard. The motivation is still there. Confident that every thought, idea we had, every dollar that we had, was communicated.”
Guerrero was born in Montreal, where his father, Hall of Fame outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, played his first eight MLB seasons.
The Yankees could be in the market for a first baseman next winter, considering they signed Paul Goldschmidt to a one-year deal this offseason. The Mets signed Pete Alonso to a two-year, $54 million contract this month, but the fan-favorite first baseman can opt out after the 2025 season.
The New York clubs competed in a high-stakes bidding war this winter for right fielder Juan Soto, who signed a record-setting 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets.
Guerrero would join a 2025-26 free-agent class that’s also expected to include middle-of-the-order hitters in outfielder Kyle Tucker and Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami. Murakami, a lefty-hitting first baseman, just turned 25.
Toronto shortstop Bo Bichette also enters this season as an impending free agent.
This week’s development continued a rough offseason for the Blue Jays, who missed out on star free agents including Soto, Corbin Burnes and Roki Sasaki. Their biggest move was signing power-hitting outfielder Anthony Santander to a five-year, $92.5 million contract.
The Blue Jays finished last in the AL East last year at 74-88.