Shushkewich: Guerrero signs historic contract given by Edward Rogers, at Rogers Centre

Signing Guerrero brings stability and identity to the Toronto Blue Jays

Edward Rogers, president of Rogers Communications, left, 1B Vlad Guerrero (Montreal, Que.) and GM Ross Atkins as they lock up the slugger for 14 years.

April 14, 2025

By Tyson Shushkewich

Canadian Baseball Network

The most expensive document in Toronto Blue Jays’ history hit the stage Monday afternoon.

First baseman Vladimir Guerrero put pen to paper on his contract extension, officially signing a 14-year deal worth $500 million in the presence of Guerrero’s family, teammates, friends and the media.

Sort of a big deal when one considers the cost of the franchise 49 years ago was $7 million.

It was a momentous occasion for the franchise, one that prompted executives into the bowels of the Rogers Centre, with Guerrero committing to spending the rest of his career with Toronto. Guerrero’s contract does not contain any opt-outs and has a full no-trade clause, as well as $325 million attributed to signing bonuses that will be distributed throughout the length of the deal. It’s the third largest contract in major-league history and the second largest in terms of guaranteed money.

It’s a narrative that has taken the Blue Jays quite some time to hop on board since president Mark Shapiro took over for Paul Beeston on Aug. 31, 2015. Other organizations such as the Seattle Mariners (Julio Rodriguez) and the San Diego Padres (Fernando Tatis, Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill) locked up young stars.

The Jays are no strangers to extending players when you look back on the history of the franchise – Vernon Wells, Jose Bautista, Dave Stieb, and Jose Berrios come to mind – but Guerrero is in another level when it comes to extension talks and future projections given his power and age.

The Jays have gone into the deep end before, signing Stieb to one of the most lucrative deals in baseball at the time in 1985, but Guerrero’s contract was going to be in a different stratosphere in terms of magnitude given today’s landscape.

The terms and lengths of these types of deals will always vary based on numerous factors – player’s age, position, etc. – but the thought remains the same: keep the impact player instead of allowing them to go elsewhere as a free agent.

The Blue Jays enter one of the more pivotal points in their franchise’s history, as the club embarked on a 2025 campaign with question marks related to roster stability and what the future of the organization was going to look like.

Could they finally win a playoff game? Would they rebuild if under .500 come July?

Core players such as Guerrero and Bo Bichette entered the season months away from free agency. Likewise pitchers Chris Bassitt, Chad Green, Erik Swanson, and Max Scherzer.

It’s a number that grows even more the following season, with Kevin Gausman, George Springer, Yimi Garcia, and Daulton Varsho all eligible as well. That’s not even including right-hander Jose Berrios, who had a player option added into his contract following the 2026 season in the event the Blue Jays begin rebuilding again.

As it stands, the Jays might enter the 2027 season without four of their starters, three impact relievers, two outfielders, and their shortstop. At one time this also included Guerrero and catcher Alejandro Kirk, who signed a five-year extension of his own earlier this month.

Even with the Guerrero (Montreal, Que.) mega-deal, there are still some questions that need to be answered when it comes to this roster, but the franchise at least has a direction for the future: build this team around the slugger.

It’s a selling point for current players and free agents as well. Having a focal player to build around gives a type of swagger that allows an organization to bring out ‘their guy’ as a selling point.

The Yankees have Aaron Judge, the Red Sox have Rafael Devers, the Mariners have Rodriguez – it’s what teams who want to play in the deep end of the pool are doing to lock down superstars and the Blue Jays finally took off their floaties and joined them.

That’s not say that everything in the pool is sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes the pool doesn’t get treated and becomes gross over time. A deal like Guerrero’s has a chance to sour as the years drag on. Paying one player roughly $35.7 million a year until they are in their late 40’s is a gamble.

It was a price the Blue Jays were willing to pay. Fact is, the Jays are not paying Guerrero for what he can do when he’s 37 or older, they’re paying him for what he can do today. Or what he can do in his prime years. The Jays’ front office is giving him a huge pay cheque because it prevents him from signing with the Red Sox and having him torment the club for the next decade plus.

It’s the upswing that tells a fanbase and every agent: “This is your leader for the Toronto Blue Jays.” Guerrero says all the right things about the club, city, and country.

There will always be risks associated with long-term deals. Every franchise has a lemon or two they have swept under the rug.

Baltimore handed Chris Davis a seven-year deal worth $161 million in 2016 and by the end of 2020 he never played for the Orioles again, retiring in 2021. The O’s still owe him money through deferred payments, with his salary hitting the books until 2037.

The Tampa Bay Rays signed Wander Franco to a 12-year deal during the 2021/2022 offseason to buy out his arbitration years and five years of free agency, but he may never play again due to issues off the field.

Mention B.J. Ryan’s name in the 500 level of the Rogers Centre and you’ll likely hear a groan or two about the former Blue Jays closer.

The Guerrero contract is no different – his production could completely plateau over the next few years and he could become the next Davis. He could take a bad-hop line drive at first and never be the same player again. There will always be the ‘what-if’s’ but Guerrero was enough of a name to get the Blue Jays outside of their comfort zone.

For an organization that likes to stick to its guns and notoriously overanalyze situations, it was a step away from the norm and one that got Edward Rogers involved as well. The businessman knew how important Guerrero was to the franchise.

They rebuilt the Player Development Complex, put hundreds of millions into renovating the Rogers Centre, and a potential franchise leader is going to walk? I don’t think so.

But what this contract most importantly signals is the organization’s attempt to build an identity in a day and age where teams are finding loopholes to create the perfect organization and owners are willing to spend absurd amounts of money to win a championship.

The Jays have their go-to guy in the lineup for the next 14 years and the selling point for players, fans, jerseys, advertisements, you name it. It’s the player you are going to trot out as the club attempts to win a World Series, the leader in the clubhouse who is supposed to stand up and say the tough things everybody is thinking.

Players like that don’t come around often, and it’s hard to argue that Guerrero doesn’t check quite a few of those boxes. There’s no guarantee that Guerrero sticking around long-term will equal a championship. He and Bichette have been on the team for seven seasons and they haven’t won a playoff game yet with different supporting casts.

The simple fact is that the Jays are a better team on paper with Guerrero on their side and even if it is a overpay over time, it’s the gamble the front office and ownership was willing to make to try and bring the trophy back North of the border. It’s the enticing factor of what having Guerrero around for the long-term means for the franchise, the fans, and perspective players who want to win and/or represent an entire nation.

He will try to find consistency during his prime years, modeling after similar sluggers like Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols.

The Blue Jays have an identity, and it starts with Guerrero.