Report: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays Settle on $28.5M Contract amid Trade Rumors

Amid months of trade speculation, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has settled his contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Guerrero settled his arbitration case with Toronto at $28.5 million for the 2025 season. The 25-year-old is in his final season of arbitration eligibility and will become a free agent next offseason.

Last offseason, the Blue Jays offered Guerrero $18.05 million but he won a salary of $19.9 million in arbitration, which was the highest arbitration salary awarded in a case decided by a hearing.

This year's figure for Guerrero was the third-highest in arbitration behind Juan Soto's $31.5 million with the New York Yankees and Shohei Ohtani's $30 million with the Los Angeles Angels in 2023. Guerrero will likely be the highest-paid arbitration player this season.

Guerrero is coming off a season in which he recorded 30 home runs, 103 RBI and the second-best batting average in the majors at .323. He also had the sixth-best OPS at .940.

Though there were rumors about Guerrero potentially requesting a trade if the two sides failed to reach a long-term contract, he'll now likely wait until free agency. Of course, Toronto could still secure its franchise player for the long term if it gives him the right offer.

USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported in January that Guerrero was seeking a deal worth at least $450 million and that he and the Blue Jays are still at least $100 million apart in negotiations. Nightengale also noted that if Guerrero doesn't have a deal by spring training he'll test free agency, with the Boston Red Sox being one of his teams of choice.

Toronto now has a season to figure out whether it wants to commit to Guerrero long-term or move in a different direction with the franchise.