Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is set to be a very rich man when he signs his next contract, but don’t expect it to be with the New York Yankees.
The Toronto Blue Jays’ two-time All-Star doubled down on his stance Friday that he will never play for the American League East rivals.
“It’s a personal thing that goes back with my family,” Guerrero Jr. said through a translator, according to the New York Post. “So, that’s my decision. I would never change that.”
Guerrero Jr., who has two more years of arbitration left before he’s a free agent in 2026 when he’s 27, made the comments before going 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in the Blue Jays’ win at Yankee Stadium. He’s the son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, who played 16 seasons with the Montreal Expos, Angels franchise, Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles.
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Guerrero Jr. is slashing .346/.429/.513 with four home runs and 11 RBI in his fifth season. The 24-year-old has won a Silver Slugger and Gold Glove and finished second in MVP voting (in 2021). He’s earning $14.5 million in his second arbitration-eligible year.
“Since you are a little kid, you dream of playing at Yankee Stadium,” Guerrero Jr. said. “Yankee Stadium is always a stadium you want to go to, you want to perform, you want to hit. That’s the mentality all the time when I come here.”