If it had been FA, the Yankees or Mets would have given $600 million, but why did they stay in TOR for $100 million less as Guerrero?

Apr 08, 2025

If it had been FA, the Yankees or Mets would have given 600 million, but why did they stay in TOR for 100 million less as Guerrero?
Toronto Blue Jays Vladimir Guerrero Jr. talks as Soto gets on base as first base in the eighth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on the 5th (Korea time). AFP Yonhap News



If it had been FA, the Yankees or Mets would have given 600 million, but why did they stay in TOR for 100 million less as Guerrero?
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ImagesYonhap News
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who was in the spotlight as the biggest fish in FA, decided to retire from the Toronto Blue Jays, drawing attention to the background.

According to ESPN's report on the 7th (Korea time), Guerrero agreed to extend a 14-year, $500 million (about 734 billion won) contract with Toronto. The contract will be announced soon as a physical examination is left.

Guerrero re-signed in January for an annual salary of $28.5 million this year, and this contract will cover from next year to 2039. In other words, Guerrero, who was born in March 1999, will wear the Toronto uniform until the age of 40. In fact, it is nothing short of a declaration that he is retiring from Toronto. It should be noted that there is not a single penny in this contract.




Guerrero ranked third in the all-time contract rankings after New York Mets Juan Soto and Los Angeles Dodgers Shohei Ohtani. Soto signed a 15-year, $765 million FA contract with the Mets last winter, and Ohtani moved to the Dodgers for 10 years and $700 million in December 2023.

However, Ohtani decided to share 97 percent of the total amount over 10 years after the end of the contract period, so the present-value is considered 460.8 million dealers according to the luxury tax imposition standard. In other words, Guerrero's contract value is actually second only to Soto.

If it had been FA, the Yankees or Mets would have given 600 million, but why did they stay in TOR for 100 million less as Guerrero?
Guerrero Jr. scored in the third inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on the 8th (Korea time) and is giving high fives with his teammates. ImagesYonhap News
Guerrero was offered an extension contract by Toronto for $340 million after the end of last year's season, but immediately refused. It is not known how long the contract was, but it was estimated to have been 10 to 12 years. However, the contract earned 160 million dollars more. The average annual salary is $35.71 million.




However, if Guerrero had entered the FA market at the end of this year, it would have been guaranteed more than $600 million (about 880.7 billion won), drawing attention.

MLB.com said on the 8th 'Guerrero could be Juan Soto's 2025 version because he has already had a solid career and is in his prime. The Guerrero scramble cannot be led by the $765 million Soto received from the Mets, but if the New York Yankees and Mets participate in the scramble, there was a good chance that it would exceed $600 million.

However, Guerrero reportedly strongly wanted to stay in Toronto. He was born in Toronto, the son of Vladimir Guerrero, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a slugger who embroidered the 1990s and 2000s under the moniker 'Monster'. The Dominican Republic is home, but it also has Canadian citizenship.




Ancient Roman philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero said 'More indecision loses more than wrong decisions (More is lost by indication than wrong decisions)', but anyway, Toronto has had more than a decade of leading hitters by enthusiastically presenting the conditions Guerrero wants.

If it had been FA, the Yankees or Mets would have given 600 million, but why did they stay in TOR for 100 million less as Guerrero?
Chicago Cubs Kyle Tucker. AP Yonhap News
Meanwhile, Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker is being pointed out as the biggest fish as Guerrero is out of the FA market. Tucker moved from the Houston Astros to the Cubs through a trade in December last year. His annual salary this year is $16.5 million.

If Tucker, who continues his heyday, performs satisfactorily this season, he is expected to sign a mega deal of at least $400 million. Tucker was born in January 1997, one year older than Guerrero. The age of the first season of the FA contract will be 29. A contract for more than 10 years seems to be easy.

First of all, the start of the season is brilliant. As of the 7th, he had a batting average of 0.319 (15 hits in 47 at-bats), five homers, 15 RBIs, 13 runs, 12 walks, six strikeouts and an OPS of 1.202 in 12 games. He is tied for first in NL home runs, No. 1 in RBIs, No. 1 in runs scored, No. 1 in hits, No. 1 in slugging percentage (0.745), and No. 1 in OPS.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.