BALTIMORE — The Toronto Blue Jays' mathematical elimination from the playoffs Wednesday in Baltimore was overshadowed by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. addressing controversial comments from a recent Spanish-language interview about his disappointing season and his 14-year, $500 million extension.
In a conversation with Veronica Batista that circulated on social media throughout Wednesday's Game 1 of the doubleheader, Guerrero said he was paid for past production, not future expectations. "I want people to understand one thing," Guerrero said in Spanish. "The money they gave me wasn't for what I'm going to do. It was for what I already did. They didn't pay me because I'm going to hit 40 every year. They paid me for what I already accomplished. People are confused about that, but I think the same way they do. Like, sometimes I even say to myself: bro, they gave you all that money and you're out here doing nothing. I try."
Asked about those remarks after the Blue Jays were eliminated Wednesday afternoon, Guerrero stood by them through interpreter Hector Lebron. "No, I don't regret myself. I'm not lying with what I say," Guerrero said. "I understand some fans, they don't understand the way and what I was trying to say specifically, but what I said is the way I feel." He later expanded on the context, saying, "That was a quote from the interview when she asked me how I felt about this year. I said that, obviously, I feel really bad about the year that I had, that I couldn't help my team get to the postseason. I said I felt -- that it's my personal opinion -- that every player gets paid for what they have done. With that said, you guys have got to remember that I signed my contract at the beginning of last year, then I did put up a good year. Then, the kind of playoffs that I had to help the team get into the World Series."
The episode recalled Spring Training 2025, when Guerrero and the Blue Jays were negotiating the $500 million extension and Spanish-language podcasts and television appearances with Dominican journalists were released days or weeks after they were recorded, creating additional discourse and translation challenges.
Getting Guerrero right is the Blue Jays' No. 1 priority this offseason after a season in which he has hit just nine home runs with an OPS hovering below .700. "He's got all the potential in the world. We know that. We've seen him be one of, if not the best, players in the game," manager John Schneider said. "Years like this, they can happen. Myself, the staff and Vlad, he's not chalking this one up to 'one of those years.' He worked tirelessly to get out of the funk he was in. He tried new things. He tried different ways to prepare and he posted every single day. Definitely not what we expected, what he expected. It's not what we expect out of him going forward and not what he expects out of himself going forward."