Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has taken a hard anti-New York Yankees stance throughout his career. His pending free agency appears to have changed those views.
The Toronto Blue Jays superstar told Jon Heyman of the New York Post that he would consider the Yankees as a destination this fall despite openly ruling them out in previous years.
“If I go to free agency, every team – all 30 teams – are going to have the opportunity to sit down with (me), to talk to me,” Guerrero said. “I’m OK with everything. It’s in the past.”
Guerrero’s never made a secret of his hostility toward the Yankees organization. In 2022, he drew the ire of New Yorkers by saying he “would never sign with the Yankees, not even dead.”
The 25-year-old’s issues with the team date back to when his father, Hall of Fame outfielder Vladimir Guerrero Sr., was a free agent in 2003. The elder Guerrero appeared to be nearing a deal with the Yankees until owner George Steinbrenner opted to sign Gary Sheffield instead. Guerrero Sr. ended up signing with the then-Anaheim Angels, whose cap he wore into Cooperstown.
The free-agency flip-flop and a separate incident involving Guerrero Jr. when he was a kid visiting Yankee Stadium played roles in forming his dislike of the organization.
“When I was a child with my dad, and like all (players’) kids I was in front of the dugout, and somebody from the Yankees told my dad that ‘You gotta take your kid (inside). You can’t be on the field,’” Guerrero told Heyman. “I felt bad. And it stood with me.”
Guerrero told Heyman that his dad helped convince him to put the longtime beefs aside if and when he reaches free agency.
Guerrero and the Blue Jays failed to agree to an extension before his self-imposed deadline Tuesday. As a result, the two-time Silver Slugger winner confirmed he’ll play out this season in Toronto before testing free agency.
If he gets to the open market, the Yankees could emerge as one of his biggest suitors owing to their lack of a long-term answer at first base. Former NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt signed a one-year deal and will man the position this season.
Until then, however, Guerrero remains a Blue Jay, and he seems happy about that. Despite the lack of an extension, the Montreal-born slugger reiterated he’s still open to re-signing a long-term deal with the Jays. It will just have to wait until the offseason.
“I would love to be here. I want to play my whole career here,” Guerrero told Heyman about Toronto. “Canada is like my second home. I really want to stay here. But it’s a business at the end of the day.”
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