The Toronto Blue Jays and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. were unable to reach an agreement on a contract extension before the superstar first baseman’s self-imposed Monday deadline.
The 25-year-old does not wish to negotiate during the season, which means he will hit free agency next winter — and the way things will sit this summer does not bode well for the Blue Jays. Guerrero said that the two parties were not close at all to reaching a deal.
“I had my number all along, Guerrero said on Tuesday (h/t Sportsnet). “I changed it a little bit, but still, it just didn’t happen.”
So begins the next cycle of Guerrero’s developing saga and the Mets, like it or not, are not going to be too far behind in all of this.
For as long as the Mets are owned by Steve Cohen, regardless of his desire to spend less, they will be linked to every big free agent on the market, Guerrero included. Such connections with Guerrero are only strengthened by the Mets reportedly checking in with the Blue Jays for Guerrero over the winter.
Everything seems to be lining up perfectly for a potential pursuit, though.
While they brought back Pete Alonso on a two-year, $54 million deal, the 30-year-old slugger has an opt-out after a season in which he will make $30 million. It is another chance for him to bet on himself, hit the open market next winter, and get a longer-term contract that he and his agent, Scott Boras, had initially been hoping for.
Guerrero is poised for a mega pay-day, one that could easily eclipse the $400 million mark. The four-time All-Star batted .323 with a .930 OPS, 30 home runs, and 103 RBI last season. Since debuting in 2019, he possesses a 162-game average of 32 home runs and 100 RBI with a career .863 OPS.
Of course, fitting such a big contract on the Mets’ books will not be easy considering they just paid Juan Soto a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million. Granted, their projected payroll drops from its current and approximate $325 million to $260.8 million next year.
“He’s a great ballplayer,” Cohen said of Guerrero on Tuesday. “Once again, I’ll worry about that next year. obviously, with payroll considerations, you really can’t have too many long-term contracts because then you lose your roster flexibility. So you have to be really careful. But I’ll let my baseball people make that decision.”
For more on the Mets and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., visit AMNY.com
