<p>The Toronto Blue Jays did the damn thing.</p>
<p>After much back-and-forth over the last few months, the team made Vladimir Guerrero Jr. $500 million richer and also made him a Blue Jay for life. It&#8217;s a landmark deal not only for the franchise but for MLB as the second-richest contract ever in terms of guaranteed money.</p>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="330" data-promotion-id="18983" data-context="“web-content-promocard&quot;"></div>
<p>I, for one, was surprised to see this regime of Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins go into unprecedented territory to get this deal done, but this was something that needed to be done for the Blue Jays. The money is astronomical, but that&#8217;s the cost of locking up baseball players these days.</p>
<p>If the Blue Jays didn&#8217;t pay Vladdy, another team would&#8217;ve written him a cheque for a half-billion dollars or more. Not only does this end the &#8220;will he/won&#8217;t he&#8221; speculation for Guerrero, but it also gives some clarity to the future of this franchise. They now have a franchise player locked up long-term, and now it&#8217;s time to build around him.</p>
<p>Vladdy&#8217;s new deal by far eclipses any contract given to a Blue Jays player ever, but just for fun, let&#8217;s look at what were previously the largest free-agent contracts and contract extensions in franchise history.</p>
<table style="width: 502px;" width="334">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;" width="142"><strong>5.) Kevin Gausman</strong></td>
<td style="width: 85px;" width="64"><strong>5 years</strong></td>
<td style="width: 58px;" width="64"><strong>$110M</strong></td>
<td style="width: 168px;" width="64"><strong>$22M AAV</strong></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>What do they say &#8211; third time&#8217;s a charm?</p>
<p>After the Blue Jays pursued Kevin Gausman on multiple occasions in free agency, they finally landed their man before the MLB lockout in December 2021. His five-year/$110 million contract marked the largest free-agent deal for a Blue Jays pitcher, eclipsing the previous four-year/$80 million deal for Hyun-Jin Ryu two years prior.</p>
<p>Although the Blue Jays paid a top-of-the-market price for Gausman at the time, three years into the deal, it still looks like an absolute bargain. He finished third in AL Cy Young voting in 2023 with the Blue Jays, and while he took a step backward last year, a $22M AAV is still great value for a workhorse starting pitcher of Gausman&#8217;s calibre.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Blue Jays To Sign Kevin Gausman <a href="https://t.co/WRvAKesNmL">https://t.co/WRvAKesNmL</a> <a href="https://t.co/qKg2ttSLSU">pic.twitter.com/qKg2ttSLSU</a></p>
<p>&mdash; MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) <a href="https://twitter.com/mlbtraderumors/status/1465139878421803018?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2021</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<table style="width: 498px;" width="334">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 153px;" width="142"><strong>4.) Vernon Wells</strong></td>
<td style="width: 67px;" width="64"><strong>7 years</strong></td>
<td style="width: 104px;" width="64"><strong>$126M</strong></td>
<td style="width: 174px;" width="64"><strong>$18 AAV</strong></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>No contract aged as quickly as Vernon Wells&#8217; seven-year/$126 million pact with the Blue Jays, signed in December 2006. Back then, the deal made him the sixth-highest paid player in MLB history, but the market headed that direction with Alfonso Soriano signing an eight-year/$136 million contract with the Chicago Cubs one month prior.</p>
<p>After signing the deal, Wells said: &#8220;I personally thought they were crazy, but that’s what they get paid for, to know these things.&#8221; No ill will towards the player for getting their money. If someone plunked $136 million in front of you, you&#8217;d probably take it with no questions asked, too.</p>
<p>The Blue Jays faced a similar crossroads with Wells as they did with Guerrero. In that era, they were in danger of losing one of the faces of their franchise. To let Wells go to market would mean paying umpteen more to get another outfielder and having to start from scratch.</p>
<p>They had just invested heavily in reinvigorating the payroll and bringing in marquee free agents like A.J. Burnett, B.J. Ryan and trading for Lyle Overbay and Troy Glaus. Roy Halladay was also signed to a below-market contract, so he wasn’t destined to be a Blue Jay forever, either. The organization chose Wells to carry the torch as the next face of the franchise.</p>
<p>The timing was perfect for Wells, after he came off a career year, slashing .303/.357/.542 with 32 home runs and playing Gold Glove defense in centre field for the Blue Jays in 2006. But as the ink on the contract had dried from his extension, his decline came hard and fast.</p>
<p>Wells battled through a wrist injury in 2008 and played only 108 games that year, but his power numbers took a nosedive in 2008 and the following season in 2009. But a bounce-back campaign in 2010 put Wells back in the good books and also made him a prime trade candidate.</p>
<p>The Los Angeles Angels bit, taking on the final four years and nearly $90 million left on Wells&#8217; contract.</p>
<table style="width: 500px;" width="334">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 166px;" width="142"><strong>3.) Jose Berrios</strong></td>
<td style="width: 76px;" width="64"><strong>7 years</strong></td>
<td style="width: 111px;" width="64"><strong>$131M</strong></td>
<td style="width: 147px;" width="64"><strong>$18.71M AAV</strong></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>There may not be a sooner trade and re-sign in franchise history than Jose Berrios&#8217;s seven-year $131 million contract extension with the Blue Jays in 2021. He was the team&#8217;s marquee trade deadline acquisition that year, and Berrios had seen all he needed to make Toronto his home for the next seven seasons.</p>
<p>Year one of that deal was quite rocky in 2022, as Berrios led the league in hits allowed and earned runs against, posting a 5.23 ERA, by far the highest of his career. But he&#8217;s settled down since then and become the number one starter in this Blue Jays rotation.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">OFFICIAL: We&#39;ve agreed to terms with RHP José Berríos on a 7-year contract extension. </p>
<p>The best is yet to come, <a href="https://twitter.com/JOLaMaKina?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JOLaMaKina</a>! <a href="https://t.co/B7A89Pp74o">pic.twitter.com/B7A89Pp74o</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1461325897219383305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2021</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Berrios could opt out of his deal as early as the 2026/2027 off-season, but the current structure has him in place with the Blue Jays through the 2028 season. As one of the most durable starting pitchers in MLB today, similar to Gausman&#8217;s deal, this one looks like a bargain as well.</p>
<table style="width: 501px;" width="334">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 184px;" width="142"><strong>2.) George Springer</strong></td>
<td style="width: 88px;" width="64"><strong>6 years</strong></td>
<td style="width: 96px;" width="64"><strong>$150M</strong></td>
<td style="width: 133px;" width="64"><strong>$25M AAV</strong></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Well, not every contract in Blue Jays history is going to age gracefully. Although he&#8217;s out to a hot start, George Springer hasn&#8217;t quite lived up to the expectations of his six-year/$150 million contract with the Blue Jays. Toronto may have overpaid in term and dollars, but that was the cost of doing business to fortify their exciting young position player core at the time.</p>
<p>Injuries limited Springerto to just 77 games in his first year with the squad, but he was electric in his second year as a Blue Jay in 2022. He also missed some on the IL, suiting up in 133 games played that year. He&#8217;s been healthy for the most part ever since, but a decline in bat speed and exit velocities has seen his power numbers evaporate.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m still not convinced 2025 is the dead cat bounce year for Springer, but at this point in the deal, any offensive contribution is a bonus, and he still plays plus defense in the outfield and can run the bases well. Is that worth a $25 million annual average value today? No, but the Blue Jays paid upfront for elite-level production in the front of the deal.</p>
<table style="width: 501px;" width="334">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 253px;" width="142"><strong>1.) Vladimir Guerrero Jr.</strong></td>
<td style="width: 89px;" width="64"><strong>14 years</strong></td>
<td style="width: 32px;" width="64"><strong>$500M</strong></td>
<td style="width: 150px;" width="64"><strong>$35.71M AAV</strong></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>For better or worse, this is the contract people will reference for a long, long time. This sets a new benchmark in franchise history, perhaps never to be surpassed. It&#8217;s $350 million more than the next highest contract ever for a Blue Jay, more than triple what Springer got four years ago.</p>
<p>$500 million is a ton of dough to sink into one player, but if the Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani contracts are an indication, this is the new norm for a Top 10 player in MLB now. It&#8217;s a big dollar figure, but the best players in baseball command top dollar, and Vladdy falls into that category.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">First baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays are in agreement on a 14-year, $500 million contract extension, pending physical, sources tell ESPN. A monumental, no-deferral deal to keep the homegrown star in Toronto for the rest of his career.</p>
<p>&mdash; Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1909098446767661368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>The Blue Jays locked up Guerrero through his age-40 season, which is hard for anyone to wrap their head around. But with this move, he is the undisputed face of this franchise today and for the foreseeable future. When this team returns to prominence again, it will be on Vladdy&#8217;s back. Let the next era of Blue Jays baseball begin.</p>
<hr />
<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="324" data-promotion-id="18983" data-context="web-content-promocard"></div>


The Toronto Blue Jays did the damn thing.

After much back-and-forth over the last few months, the team made Vladimir Guerrero Jr. $500 million richer and also made him a Blue Jay for life. It's a landmark deal not only for the franchise but for MLB as the second-richest contract ever in terms of guaranteed money.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="330" data-promotion-id="18983" data-context="“web-content-promocard&quot;"></div>
I, for one, was surprised to see this regime of Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins go into unprecedented territory to get this deal done, but this was something that needed to be done for the Blue Jays. The money is astronomical, but that's the cost of locking up baseball players these days.

If the Blue Jays didn't pay Vladdy, another team would've written him a cheque for a half-billion dollars or more. Not only does this end the "will he/won't he" speculation for Guerrero, but it also gives some clarity to the future of this franchise. They now have a franchise player locked up long-term, and now it's time to build around him.

Vladdy's new deal by far eclipses any contract given to a Blue Jays player ever, but just for fun, let's look at what were previously the largest free-agent contracts and contract extensions in franchise history.
<table style="width: 502px;" width="334">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;" width="142"><strong>5.) Kevin Gausman</strong></td>
<td style="width: 85px;" width="64"><strong>5 years</strong></td>
<td style="width: 58px;" width="64"><strong>$110M</strong></td>
<td style="width: 168px;" width="64"><strong>$22M AAV</strong></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
What do they say - third time's a charm?

After the Blue Jays pursued Kevin Gausman on multiple occasions in free agency, they finally landed their man before the MLB lockout in December 2021. His five-year/$110 million contract marked the largest free-agent deal for a Blue Jays pitcher, eclipsing the previous four-year/$80 million deal for Hyun-Jin Ryu two years prior.

Although the Blue Jays paid a top-of-the-market price for Gausman at the time, three years into the deal, it still looks like an absolute bargain. He finished third in AL Cy Young voting in 2023 with the Blue Jays, and while he took a step backward last year, a $22M AAV is still great value for a workhorse starting pitcher of Gausman's calibre.

https://twitter.com/mlbtraderumors/status/1465139878421803018
<table style="width: 498px;" width="334">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 153px;" width="142"><strong>4.) Vernon Wells</strong></td>
<td style="width: 67px;" width="64"><strong>7 years</strong></td>
<td style="width: 104px;" width="64"><strong>$126M</strong></td>
<td style="width: 174px;" width="64"><strong>$18 AAV</strong></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
No contract aged as quickly as Vernon Wells' seven-year/$126 million pact with the Blue Jays, signed in December 2006. Back then, the deal made him the sixth-highest paid player in MLB history, but the market headed that direction with Alfonso Soriano signing an eight-year/$136 million contract with the Chicago Cubs one month prior.

After signing the deal, Wells said: "I personally thought they were crazy, but that’s what they get paid for, to know these things." No ill will towards the player for getting their money. If someone plunked $136 million in front of you, you'd probably take it with no questions asked, too.

The Blue Jays faced a similar crossroads with Wells as they did with Guerrero. In that era, they were in danger of losing one of the faces of their franchise. To let Wells go to market would mean paying umpteen more to get another outfielder and having to start from scratch.

They had just invested heavily in reinvigorating the payroll and bringing in marquee free agents like A.J. Burnett, B.J. Ryan and trading for Lyle Overbay and Troy Glaus. Roy Halladay was also signed to a below-market contract, so he wasn’t destined to be a Blue Jay forever, either. The organization chose Wells to carry the torch as the next face of the franchise.

The timing was perfect for Wells, after he came off a career year, slashing .303/.357/.542 with 32 home runs and playing Gold Glove defense in centre field for the Blue Jays in 2006. But as the ink on the contract had dried from his extension, his decline came hard and fast.

Wells battled through a wrist injury in 2008 and played only 108 games that year, but his power numbers took a nosedive in 2008 and the following season in 2009. But a bounce-back campaign in 2010 put Wells back in the good books and also made him a prime trade candidate.

The Los Angeles Angels bit, taking on the final four years and nearly $90 million left on Wells' contract.
<table style="width: 500px;" width="334">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 166px;" width="142"><strong>3.) Jose Berrios</strong></td>
<td style="width: 76px;" width="64"><strong>7 years</strong></td>
<td style="width: 111px;" width="64"><strong>$131M</strong></td>
<td style="width: 147px;" width="64"><strong>$18.71M AAV</strong></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
There may not be a sooner trade and re-sign in franchise history than Jose Berrios's seven-year $131 million contract extension with the Blue Jays in 2021. He was the team's marquee trade deadline acquisition that year, and Berrios had seen all he needed to make Toronto his home for the next seven seasons.

Year one of that deal was quite rocky in 2022, as Berrios led the league in hits allowed and earned runs against, posting a 5.23 ERA, by far the highest of his career. But he's settled down since then and become the number one starter in this Blue Jays rotation.

https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1461325897219383305

Berrios could opt out of his deal as early as the 2026/2027 off-season, but the current structure has him in place with the Blue Jays through the 2028 season. As one of the most durable starting pitchers in MLB today, similar to Gausman's deal, this one looks like a bargain as well.
<table style="width: 501px;" width="334">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 184px;" width="142"><strong>2.) George Springer</strong></td>
<td style="width: 88px;" width="64"><strong>6 years</strong></td>
<td style="width: 96px;" width="64"><strong>$150M</strong></td>
<td style="width: 133px;" width="64"><strong>$25M AAV</strong></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Well, not every contract in Blue Jays history is going to age gracefully. Although he's out to a hot start, George Springer hasn't quite lived up to the expectations of his six-year/$150 million contract with the Blue Jays. Toronto may have overpaid in term and dollars, but that was the cost of doing business to fortify their exciting young position player core at the time.

Injuries limited Springerto to just 77 games in his first year with the squad, but he was electric in his second year as a Blue Jay in 2022. He also missed some on the IL, suiting up in 133 games played that year. He's been healthy for the most part ever since, but a decline in bat speed and exit velocities has seen his power numbers evaporate.

I'm still not convinced 2025 is the dead cat bounce year for Springer, but at this point in the deal, any offensive contribution is a bonus, and he still plays plus defense in the outfield and can run the bases well. Is that worth a $25 million annual average value today? No, but the Blue Jays paid upfront for elite-level production in the front of the deal.
<table style="width: 501px;" width="334">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 253px;" width="142"><strong>1.) Vladimir Guerrero Jr.</strong></td>
<td style="width: 89px;" width="64"><strong>14 years</strong></td>
<td style="width: 32px;" width="64"><strong>$500M</strong></td>
<td style="width: 150px;" width="64"><strong>$35.71M AAV</strong></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
For better or worse, this is the contract people will reference for a long, long time. This sets a new benchmark in franchise history, perhaps never to be surpassed. It's $350 million more than the next highest contract ever for a Blue Jay, more than triple what Springer got four years ago.

$500 million is a ton of dough to sink into one player, but if the Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani contracts are an indication, this is the new norm for a Top 10 player in MLB now. It's a big dollar figure, but the best players in baseball command top dollar, and Vladdy falls into that category.

https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1909098446767661368

The Blue Jays locked up Guerrero through his age-40 season, which is hard for anyone to wrap their head around. But with this move, he is the undisputed face of this franchise today and for the foreseeable future. When this team returns to prominence again, it will be on Vladdy's back. Let the next era of Blue Jays baseball begin.

<hr />

<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="324" data-promotion-id="18983" data-context="web-content-promocard"></div>

Where does Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s landmark contract rank in Blue Jays history?

Recent articles from Ian Hunter

Breaking News