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Oct 20, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) reacts after the eighth inning against the Seattle Mariners during game seven of the ALCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Vladimir Guerrero Jr Reveals He Never Received Offer From Angels

Originally posted on Los Angeles Angels on SI
By Jason Fray | Last updated Oct 24, 2025 5:00 PM ET

Toronto Blue Jays infielder Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is undoubtedly one of the game's brightest stars.

With a powerful swing from the right side, elite plate discipline, and the hand-eye coordination shown by his father, the 26-year-old is currently playing at the highest level of his career.

He's led the Blue Jays to the World Series after torching the New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners en route to a monumental clash with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

It's a bittersweet moment for fans of the Los Angeles Angels. Guerrero's father is the only former member of the Halos to be wearing an Angels hat in Cooperstown. The younger Guerrero was a fixture at Angel Stadium when his dad was mashing baseballs.

Surely, he would've followed in his dad's footsteps and donned the iconic Angels red, right?

In Guerrero's words, he never even got the chance.

Shaikin: What might have been if the Angels had signed Vladimir Guerrero Jr. a decade ago https://t.co/eiOtm14Xha
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) October 23, 2025

Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times recently wrote a profile breaking down Guerrero Jr.'s pathway to becoming a star. According to the player, the Angels never offered him a contract when he was a free agent prospect at 16 years of age. Toronto ended up inking him to a deal worth $3.9 million...and the rest is history.

Shaikin broke down how poor decision-making didn't even give the Angels a chance to sign a legacy player that presumably would've had an interest in joning the franchise.

"In January 2015, under general manager Jerry Dipoto, they spent $14 million in a signing bonus and tax penalties to sign infielder Roberto Baldoquin. At the time, Baldoquin was compared to fellow Cuban prospect Yoan Moncada by a prominent agent who represented neither player. As it turned out, the Angels had signed a tools-heavy player who could not play baseball very well and never made it to the majors.

"The penalties for signing Baldoquin included restricting the Angels to no more than a $300,000 bonus for any other international prospects they might sign that year. In July 2015, Guerrero Jr. signed with the Blue Jays for $3.9 million."

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. @VladGuerrero27's son Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is coming to Angel Stadium. (4/30 - 5/2)

» https://t.co/xcsaHiX92i pic.twitter.com/HH5Cy5odeK
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) April 27, 2019

Baldoquin was a Cuban ballplayer that received $8 million as a signing bonus for inking a deal with the Halos back in 2015. For five years, Baldoquin struggled in the team's farm system. After never reaching above Double-A, he was released from the team in 2020.

Meanwhile, Guerrero Jr. has made five All-Star appearances by the age of 26. The two-time Silver Slugger Award winner has a Gold Glove to his name and most recently an ALCS MVP trophy he earned last week.