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Here's How Far Apart Toronto Blue Jays and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Are in Contract Talks

The Blue Jays are in a race against time with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and his contract extension, and they have significant ground to make up.

Brady Farkas

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) gestures to an umpire that he wants the ball after hitting his career 500th RBI against the St. Louis Cardinals in the seventh inning at Rogers Centre in 2024.
Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) gestures to an umpire that he wants the ball after hitting his career 500th RBI against the St. Louis Cardinals in the seventh inning at Rogers Centre in 2024. / Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
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Earlier on Tuesday, we heard that Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would like to join the Boston Red Sox if he hits free agency after the 2025 season.

The Jays would obviously like to keep that from happening, but right now, the odds don't look good. Guerrero Jr. has said that he's willing to sign an extension with Toronto if they meet his asking price, but Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the two sides are at least $100 million apart in negotiations.

Guerrero Jr. has said that he won't negotiate beyond the first day of spring training, which comes up about five weeks from now.

The Blue Jays are in the midst of some real trying times. They missed out on Shohei Ohtani last offseason and then missed out on Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, and Teoscar Hernandez this offseason.

Should they lose Guerrero Jr., and potentially Bo Bichette as well after 2025, the Blue Jays will arguably have to go through a painful rebuild. And for a fanbase that hasn't won a playoff game since 2016, and a World Series since 1993, that seems like a terrible possibility, especially considering the Jays do not have a well-regarded farm system to fall back on.

Toronto can still salvage this offseason by signing either of Alex Bregman or Anthony Santander, both of who they've been linked to. Perhaps bringing in a big free agent could entice Guerrero Jr. to stay long-term, but the clock is ticking on all fronts.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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