Yo, you won’t believe this! Vladimir Guerrero Jr. just turned down a crazy offer from the Toronto Blue Jays—like, half a billion bucks! But wait, there’s a twist with that money.
So, here’s the scoop: Guerrero passed on a deal that was over $500 million, but the catch is there was a lot of deferred cash involved, making the real value more like $400 to $450 million today. He was cool with deferrals but wanted the top value to stay at $500 million.
If he accepted that contract, it would’ve been massive, even beating Shohei Ohtani’s groundbreaking $700 million deal with the Dodgers, which is worth around $460 million in today’s cash. But it still wouldn’t reach Juan Soto’s insane 15-year, $765 million contract, which has no deferred cash and could go over $800 million with certain conditions.
Guerrero decided to stop talking numbers with the Jays during spring training, essentially putting the pressure on to wrap things up before he hits free agency. The guy’s only 25, and he’ll turn 26 soon. He mentioned that he was aiming for a contract length like Soto’s, but not the same cash.
“It’s much less than Soto. We’re talking about many fewer millions than Soto, more than a hundred million less. … It was the same number of years [as Soto’s contract], but it didn’t reach [$600 million]. The last number we gave them as a counteroffer didn’t reach 600,” Guerrero said.
“I know the business. I lowered the salary demands a bit, but I also lowered the number of years. … I’m looking for 14 [years]. I would like 14, 15, even 20 if they give them to me, but doing it the right way.”
Guerrero is set to be the most sought-after free agent next winter, right there with Kyle Tucker from the Cubs and Dylan Cease from the Padres.
But here’s the deal: Guerrero hasn’t been as steady as some other players who got mega contracts. Looking at the numbers, four out of his six seasons have been less impressive than Soto’s worst year. But don’t sleep on him—he still has a ton of promise and will hit free agency around the same age as Soto, which is crucial.
Deferred money is becoming the norm for these giant contracts in MLB. It’s kind of a thing now. Players usually don’t mind since they still get their cash, often with added bonuses. Teams like it because it keeps their budgets in check and helps them dodge luxury tax payments.
The Dodgers used this tactic quite a bit over the offseason and expect to see more of it until MLB has a reason to step in.
