Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to Blue Jays: Latest Contract Details and Reaction

International prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. took a big step toward following in his father's footsteps Thursday as the 16-year-old outfielder agreed to a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays.  

MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez was the first to report the signing, and Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet added that the deal is worth $4.1 million.

Baseball America provided a photo of Guerrero Jr. signing the contract:

Prior to the opening of the July 2 signing period, former Montreal Expos and Los Angeles Angels superstar Vladimir Guerrero commented on his son's journey to the big leagues:

Guerrero Jr. has inevitably been compared to his famous father on the diamond, and while the potential future Hall of Famer acknowledges the similarities, he believes his son could be even better at this stage in his development, according to Bleacher Report's Matthew Marotta: "He has more power, a lot. I was very thin. Other than that, we are the same player. We both played like men since we were very young."

If Guerrero Jr. turns out to be anything like his dad, then he has a very fruitful career ahead of him. Guerrero Sr. hit .318 with 449 home runs and 1,496 RBI in 16 MLB seasons. He was also named to the All-Star team on nine occasions and won the 2004 American League MVP award.

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

The younger Guerrero is ranked as the No. 4 international prospect by MLB.com, and if all goes well over the next few years, he figures to begin his big league career north of the American border, just like his father did.

There are no guarantees regarding Guerrero Jr. despite his excellent pedigree since he is so young. It could take four or more years until he makes it to the majors, if he even makes it at all, but the Jays have to feel good about this signing considering his immense promise.

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