Blue Jays rumors: New Vladimir Guerrero Jr. contract offer on table for Opening Day

The Toronto Blue Jays reportedly have made another contract offer in their negotiations with star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., according to Buster Olney of ESPN.

Guerrero previously stated that the opening of camp would be the deadline to negotiate an extension with the Blue Jays, but it appears the team has made another offer ahead of Opening Day against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday. However, a gap still remains between the two sides, according to Olney. It appears that Guerrero will enter the 2025 season with just one year remaining on his contract.

It remains to be seen whether or not Guerrero is willing to listen to the Blue Jays’ offers during the season. However, a player as good as him being so close to free agency, it might not be the wise move for him from a financial standpoint.

Based on Guerrero’s previous comments, the asking price likely ranges from $500-600 million. As of right now, the Blue Jays and Guerrero have not been able to find a common ground.

Although the Blue Jays struggled in 2024, Guerrero posted what was arguably his second-best season, slashing .323/.396/.544 with 30 home runs, a 165 wRC+ and 5.4 WAR, according to FanGraphs. Guerrero’s best season was in 2021, when he was a finalist for the MVP Award and lost out to Shohei Ohtani. He posted 6.3 WAR that season.

Seemingly trending upward and entering his age 26 season, Guerrero is set to receive a big contract, whether it be an extension with Toronto or signing with another team in free agency.

Regardless, it is a huge season for the Blue Jays, as it might be the last season that Guerrero and Bo Bichette play together in Toronto. It will be interesting to see how they fare, and where they will be come the trade deadline in August, as they could sell and gain a lot of prospect capital.