For Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr., there is security in the 14-year, $500 million deal he signed with the franchise.
The Blue Jays are in New York this weekend to face the Yankees and Toronto is looking for an offensive turnaround after struggles in Houston against the Astros.
Guerrero spent some time with the New York Yankees’ pregame show on the YES Network on Friday and he talked about the contract and about what he intends to do with all of that money.
He was asked about his first purchase. He said he hadn’t made a major purchase just yet. But he knows exactly where he intends to start.
“I gotta do my mom’s house in DR (the Dominican Republic), he said. “We’re going to start doing that soon.”
The deal Guerrero receive keeps him with the Blue Jays through the 2039 season. The structure of the deal is a bit unique. It comes with a $325 million signing bonus. That bonus will be paid out over 15 years and was done to protect the 26-year-old star’s earnings if there is a work stoppage.
How? The signing bonus is taxed based on his residency in Florida, where there is no state income tax.
Guerrero had hoped to have a deal done before spring training, but that didn’t work out. At the time, he said he was done negotiating and was focused on the season, intending to let the chips fall where they may next offseason.
But the Blue Jays and his agent kept working on a deal and now, he said, he has the peace of mind of knowing where he’ll be, something he clearly wanted before the end of the season.
“It’s different when you sign a contract like that and you know you’re going to be there for the rest of your life,” he said.
Guerrero, the son of Baseball Hall of Fame selection Vladimir Guerrero Sr., has had a brilliant career up to this point. He has a lifetime slash of 287/.363/.497 with 161 home runs and 517 RBI. He’s never been an American League MVP, but he has made four straight All-Star Games, won two Silver Sluggers and a Gold Glove.
He came the closest to winning an MVP in 2021, when he slashed .311/.401/.601 with a Major League leading 48 home runs and 111 RBI. He also led the Majors with 123 runs scored and 363 total bases.
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