Mar 6, 2025; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) looks on from the dugout against the Boston Red Sox in the fourth inning during spring training at TD Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reveals Blue Jays’ last extension offer fell short of $600M

Not even close to what Juan Soto was offered...

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has set the record straight on his contract negotiations with the Toronto Blue Jays, confirming that the latest extension offer his camp presented was significantly lower than Juan Soto’s massive deal with the New York Mets. While Soto secured a historic 15-year, $765 million contract this offseason, Vladimir Guerrero’s proposed deal didn’t even crack the $600 million mark.

With extension talks falling flat, the 25-year-old first baseman is now set to enter free agency in November, a scenario that seemed avoidable had the Blue Jays been willing to meet his price.

What did Vladimir Guerrero Jr. say?

Speaking to ESPN’s Enrique Rojas and Ernesto Jerez, Guerrero dismissed the idea that he was seeking anything close to Soto’s deal, stating:

“It’s much less than Soto. We’re talking about many fewer millions than Soto, more than a hundred million less. … It was the same number of years [as Soto’s contract], but it didn’t reach [$600 million]. The last number we gave them as a counteroffer didn’t reach 600.”

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reportedly proposed a 15-year contract worth less than $600M to the Blue Jays.

(Via: @ESPN) pic.twitter.com/aLzS9h0av1
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) March 7, 2025

Guerrero also revealed that he adjusted both his salary demands and contract length in an effort to get a deal done:

“I know the business. I lowered the salary demands a bit, but I also lowered the number of years … I’m looking for 14 [years]. I would like 14, 15, even 20 if they give them to me, but doing it the right way.”

Negotiations reportedly extended right up to the start of spring training, but the two sides couldn’t bridge the gap. Despite the failed talks, Guerrero insists it won’t affect his focus on the 2025 season, saying:

“There was an exchange [of salary figures]. The meetings lasted until the last day of the deadline, but they [the Blue Jays and Guerrero’s agents] couldn’t reach an agreement on the numbers. But as I’ve always said, just because we couldn’t reach an agreement, I’m not going to change the way I work. I have to keep working.”

With no long-term deal in place, Guerrero enters a pivotal season with the Blue Jays. If he maintains his current form, he’s hitting .412 with a 1.121 OPS, one home run, and three RBIs in seven spring training games, his price tag in free agency could skyrocket. And while Toronto had the chance to lock up their franchise cornerstone at a number he considered reasonable, they now run the risk of watching him walk for nothing next winter.

ALSO READ: The biggest names in MLB heading to free agency in 2026

The question now is whether the Blue Jays will regret playing hardball with Guerrero, because if he puts up a monster season, that $600 million mark they hesitated on might start to look like a bargain.

Blue Jays

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Mohsin Baldiwala

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Mohsin Baldiwala is a Master’s student in Journalism and freelance content producer who got hooked on baseball through Seinfeld’s hapless George Costanza. The same reason why he’s a Yankees fan. He writes about sports because he believes it can offer a brief escape from the world’s chaos. Even if that means enduring the heartbreak of the 2024 World Series.