NEW YORK (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays agreed to a $500 million, 14-year contract that starts in 2026, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press, a deal that removes what would have been the biggest star from next offseason’s free-agent market.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity early Monday because the agreement had not been announced.
Guerrero’s deal does not include any deferred money, the person said.
and the four-time All-Star first baseman had said he . Still, talks with his agent continued well into the regular season.
Guerrero got the third-largest contract in total dollars behind that started this season and two-way star that began last year and is heavily deferred.
Guerrero's $35.71 million average annual value under the new deal ranks eighth among current contracts behind the agreements of Ohtani ($70 million), Soto ($51 million), Philadelphia pitcher Zack Wheeler ($42 million), Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge ($40 million), Texas pitcher Jacob deGrom ($37 million), Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell ($36.4 million) and Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole ($36 million).
A son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, the Blue Jays star turned 26 last month and would have been a free agent this fall at a relatively young age.
Guerrero is a .277 career hitter with 160 homers and 511 RBIs. He's batting .256 with no homers and four RBIs in the first 10 games this season.
Seeking its first World Series title since winning championships in 1992 and 1993, Toronto notably failed to land Ohtani, Soto and Roki Sasaki. The Blue Jays agreed to a a and a .
Toronto shortstop Bo Bichette, a two-time All-Star, remains eligible for free agency after this year's World Series.
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