Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays fail to reach contract extension - ESPN

DUNEDIN, Fla. — First baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays failed to come to terms on a contract extension prior to his Monday night deadline, paving the way for the 25-year-old star to hit free agency in November.

«They had their numbers; I had my numbers,» Guerrero said Tuesday.

Guerrero, a four-time All-Star and son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, said he had set a deadline of 9 p.m. Monday, but the last call from the Blue Jays came at 10:30 p.m. When asked if the team was close to what he was asking, Guerrero simply said, «No.»

Without a deal in place, Guerrero said he plans to cut off talks and play out the season as an impending free agent, but he also said later that he «won't close the door» on a «realistic» offer from the Blue Jays.

«Listen, I want to be here. I want to be a Blue Jay for the rest of my career,» Guerrero said. «But it's free agency. It's business. So I'm going to have to listen to 29 more teams and they're going to have to compete for that.»

The inability to strike a deal is the latest blow for the Blue Jays, whose pursuit of franchise-caliber talent in recent years was a black mark for the franchise. Toronto's heavy recruitment of two-way star Shohei Ohtani and outfielder Juan Soto wound up in disappointment, as they signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets, respectively, and the potential departure of their best homegrown talent since Hall of Famer Roy Halladay is even more acute.

«Soto's deal had nothing to do with my decision at all,» Guerrero said. «Even before that, I knew my value. I knew my number.»

Guerrero said the Blue Jays had known about his deadline since last season, and he didn't want negotiations to carry into spring training and become a