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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had the worst season of his career in 2026. That's one of the reasons why his team won't be playing in October.
And now, the Blue Jays' star player has made some… surprising comments.
He wants people to understand that his $500 million contract was signed for what he's done, not for what he'll do.
Needless to say, this sparked a reaction.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. opens up on his slump year: “They didn't pay me to hit 40 every year. They paid me for what I already did.”
I want people to understand one thing. 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… pic.twitter.com/ALPlCgmKjw
— Master Flip | Phillip Feliz
(@Masterflip_) September 23, 2026
The worst part of all this is that Vlad chose not to back down. On Wednesday, after the afternoon loss to Baltimore, he was asked about his comments.
And he chose to repeat the same thing.
Vladdy Guerrero in the post below: “That's
my personal opinion; every player gets paid for what they did… I signed my contract at the beginning of last year, had a good year, then the playoffs…”Understood—players got paid for helping the team that made it to the World Series. “Never
stopped working hard” https://t.co/s2ijSed4F5
— Hazel Mae (@thehazelmae) September 23, 2026
There are several points in the Blue Jays player's defense… starting with his work ethic. The guy worked hard.
Did he have a back injury? Definitely. Did he put so much pressure on himself that he felt anxious and depressed? Yes… which is obviously sad.
Did he want to do better? Yes. Did he lead the Blue Jays to the World Series after signing his mega contract? Absolutely.
Did he feel bad about the fact that fans pay to come see him? Yeah.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (via interpreter) on contract / expectations
: “Every time I strike out, I think about my contract because I know all these people who go to the games—they pay to see me succeed, to do something good every time I step up to the plate. I think about that every time.”
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) September 23, 2026
But a star player doesn't have the right to refuse to be held accountable by saying he isn't paid to perform. That's taking people for fools.
In the past, teams paid players for past achievements, but not anymore.
Do you think that with the contract the Blue Jays offered, the team's executives don't expect incredible performance?
Do you think they're telling themselves that at least, in 2021, Vladimir was excellent? Come on!
Vladdy chose to play despite his injuries (which I respect), but he's accountable for his performance on the field. And he can't just blame the past like that.
He has no right to take the fans for fools by thinking that such an excuse will be accepted by the team's supporters.
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