Toronto Blue Jays superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. apologized on Friday for comments he made regarding his contract and what it is the team is expecting from him.
Guerrero Jr. drew criticism earlier this week for saying that when the Blue Jays gave him a 14-year, $500 million contract extension, that it was not for what he was going to do next, but what he had already done for the team.
He then doubled-down on the comment after the Blue Jays were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.
The comments drew even more intense criticism because his first season after signing the deal has been, by far, the worst season of his career.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. apologizes for contract comments
Guerrero Jr. said on Friday that his father, Hall of Fame outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, told him his comments were a mistake and that he needed to apologize and try to make things right between his teammates and fans.
“I feel that the comments I made the other day is not what I really wanted to say,” Guerrero said via team interpreter Hector Lebron. “Everyone deserves an apology from me. … I want to tell everyone that I’m going to continue to keep working hard to make my contract a great one.”
The problem with the comments is that he played into the negative perception that fans can sometimes have regarding players that get a big payday. There is a belief (even if unfounded) that players will lose some of their hunger and desire and simply not try as hard because they have the guaranteed money rolling in.
Nobody is actually accusing Guerrero Jr. of doing that, but the optics of the entire situation are not great, and sometimes that carries more weight than reality. Even if it’s unfair.
Guerrero Jr. was also simply wrong about what the expectations were, and are, for the contract. No team operates under the idea that big-money contracts are for what a player already did. The Blue Jays didn’t pay Guerrero Jr. for everything he did between the 2019 and 2025 seasons. They are paying for him to be a franchise player for the next decade-plus.
The 2026 season has not only been a frustrating one for Guerrero Jr., but it has also been objectively the worst season of his career. He needs a big bounce back next season. Not only to help the Blue Jays get back into the playoffs and become a World Series contender again, but also to prove to fans that he can still be the elite player the Blue Jays are paying him to be.