Reports reveal what Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. could want in free agency

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. insisted in a recent interview that the final offer he rejected from his current employer in February was "much less than" the money attached to the historic contract All-Star outfielder Juan Soto signed to join the New York Mets this offseason. 

There's more information regarding the type of money Guerrero could be looking to land assuming he reaches free agency after the 2025 World Series concludes. 

MLB insiders Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of the New York Post revealed on Tuesday that the Blue Jays offered Guerrero "a deal for about $500M before negotiations were halted last month — although significant deferrals put an estimate of the actual net present value of the offer between $400M and $450M." The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal later mentioned that Guerrero wants "$500M in present value"

"Guerrero, who turns 26 on March 16, dropped his resistance to deferrals as his [Feb. 18 deadline for negotiations with the Blue Jays] neared, as long as his present value landed at $500M," Rosenthal added. "A contract of that size would be the second largest in major-league history, ahead of Shohei Ohtani’s massively deferred $700M deal, which carries a present value of $460.8M."

To compare, Soto put pen to paper on a 15-year, $765M contract that could reportedly exceed $800M total. That deal also included a $75M signing bonus, an opt-out after five seasons, no deferred money, a suite for Soto's family at Citi Field that can be used during Mets home games and additional "family services." 

It seems unlikely that Guerrero's next contract will equal Soto's as it pertains to total cash and added perks. With that said, Rosenthal mentioned that the Mets, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox "are among the clubs that might be in the market for a first baseman" this fall. A bidding war involving those big-spending teams could increase Guerrero's worth on the market, especially if Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner decides to go all-in on signing the slugger after losing Soto to the Mets in late 2024. 

The Mets reportedly could have Guerrero share a lineup with fellow first baseman Pete Alonso if Alonso declines to exercise the opt-out in his contract after this year. It remains to be seen how much over $500M Steinbrenner, Cohen and others will be willing to go to win a potential Guerrero sweepstakes.