After coming just two outs short of a World Series title last season, the Toronto Blue Jays were hoping to capitalize on that momentum this year. That momentum never quite materialized as the Blue Jays were officially eliminated from the playoffs on Wednesday and will likely finish under .500 for the season, too.
One of the biggest reasons the Blue Jays struggled in 2026 was a slump season from the face of the franchise, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.. At the time of this writing, the six-time All-Star has just nine home runs, his lowest RBI total since 2020, and has slugged below .400 for the first time in his career. He will also finish with the worst OPS (.695) of his career by far. In related news, for a guy known for hitting massive dingers, he didn't
mash a home run at home in Toronto until September 13th.
At face value, you could understand why Blue Jays fans have been distraught about the 27-year-old Guerrero's subpar performance during what is supposed to be the middle of his prime. And, again, at face value, you could understand why some fans might be upset about recent comments Guerrero made on a podcast where it seemed like he inelegantly noted that he got his 14-year, $500 million contract because of what he had accomplished before, not what he will do in the future.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on his down year after signing $500M extension last season:
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) September 23, 2026
"The contract I got was based on what I did, not necessarily for what I'm going to do. I understand why the fans believe it's the other way around. Sometimes I think that way too, like, 'Oh, they…
Amid some festering outrage, Guerrero Jr. addressed these comments through his Spanish-language interpreter. Predictably, he regrets nothing because the snippet of the podcast everyone saw was not what he meant:
Asked Vladimir Guerrero Jr. about his comments made in an interview to Veronika Batista, and to expand on what he meant.
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) September 23, 2026
This is via his interpreter, Hector LeBron. #BlueJays pic.twitter.com/7vGTVxH6VM
It's a harsh truth for fans when one of their favorite players performs poorly, but high-level athletes like Guerrero are, in fact, paid handsome contracts for what they did before and what they will do in the future. This isn't a "he only cares about money" situation. It's acknowledging the reality that anyone who thinks Guerrero doesn't deserve his deal after an awful 2026 is wrong, because he still does.
He just had a bad season. It happens.
Plus, as Guerrero notes, he signed his half-billion deal before last year. You know, the same year he took the Blue Jays to the brink of a championship. It sucks that he followed up that season with arguably the worst year of his career, but he still earned the money as one of baseball's most prominent stars. And knowing his well-established reputation, whenever the next MLB season takes place, Guerrero should be back to playing like a titan soon enough.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. doesn’t regret comments about Blue Jays contract after down season
