Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. insisted in a current interview that the ultimate provide he rejected from his present employer in February was “a lot lower than” the cash hooked up to the historic contract All-Star outfielder Juan Soto signed to affix the New York Mets this offseason.
There’s extra info relating to the kind of cash Guerrero could possibly be seeking to land assuming he reaches free company after the 2025 World Sequence concludes.
MLB insiders Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of the New York Put up revealed on Tuesday that the Blue Jays supplied Guerrero “a deal for about $500M earlier than negotiations have been halted final month — though important deferrals put an estimate of the particular web current worth of the provide between $400M and $450M.” The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal later talked about that Guerrero desires “$500M in current worth”
“Guerrero, who turns 26 on March 16, dropped his resistance to deferrals as his [Feb. 18 deadline for negotiations with the Blue Jays] neared, so long as his current worth landed at $500M,” Rosenthal added. “A contract of that measurement can be the second largest in major-league historical past, forward of Shohei Ohtani’s massively deferred $700M deal, which carries a gift worth of $460.8M.”
To match, Soto put pen to paper on a 15-year, $765M contract that may reportedly exceed $800M complete. That deal additionally included a $75M signing bonus, an opt-out after 5 seasons, no deferred cash, a set for Soto’s household at Citi Subject that can be utilized throughout Mets residence video games and extra “household providers.”
It appears unlikely that Guerrero’s subsequent contract will equal Soto’s because it pertains to complete money and added perks. With that mentioned, Rosenthal talked about that the Mets, New York Yankees and Boston Pink Sox “are among the many golf equipment that may be out there for a primary baseman” this fall. A bidding struggle involving these big-spending groups may enhance Guerrero’s price in the marketplace, particularly if Yankees proprietor Hal Steinbrenner decides to go all-in on signing the slugger after shedding Soto to the Mets in late 2024.
The Mets reportedly may have Guerrero share a lineup with fellow first baseman Pete Alonso if Alonso declines to train the opt-out in his contract after this 12 months. It stays to be seen how a lot over $500M Steinbrenner, Cohen and others will likely be keen to go to win a possible Guerrero sweepstakes.
