BALTIMORE -- It takes a lot for the Blue Jays’ 2026 elimination to dip below being the story of the day, but that’s exactly what happened Wednesday in Baltimore, as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. addressed some controversial quotes from a recent Spanish-language interview.
In a conversation recently with Veronica Batista, Guerrero addressed his disappointing season and spoke about his 14-year, $500 million extension. Those comments didn’t sit well with fans, though, when Guerrero spoke about being paid for what he’s done for the Blue Jays in the past, not what he’s expected to do in the future.
“I want people to understand one thing,” Guerrero said in Spanish. “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 because I’m going to hit 40 every year. They paid me for what I already accomplished. People are confused about that, but I think the same way they do. Like, sometimes I even say to myself: bro, they gave you all that money and you’re out here doing nothing. I try.”
Asked about those comments following the Blue Jays being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs Wednesday afternoon, Guerrero stood by them.
"No, I don't regret myself. I'm not lying with what I say,” Guerrero said through interpreter Hector Lebron. “I understand some fans, they don't understand the way and what I was trying to say specifically, but what I said is the way I feel."
This takes us back to the lessons learned in Spring Training of 2025, when Guerrero and the Blue Jays were first negotiating his $500 million extension.
Every few days, another Spanish-language podcast or television appearance featuring Guerrero would be released, often with journalists or interviewers from his native Dominican Republic. It’s important to ensure that nothing is lost in translation, first and foremost, then to contextualize when and why these things were said.
Last spring, for example, a couple of those interviews lingered for weeks at a time before being posted, which stirred up more discourse than anyone -- perhaps even Guerrero -- had planned.
This time, Guerrero’s comments days later seemed to line up with his initial interview with Batista, which was making its rounds on social media throughout Wednesday’s Game 1 of the doubleheader. At one point, Guerrero was also asked to expand on those comments and explain why he was thinking that.
“That was a quote from the interview when she asked me how I felt about this year. I said that, obviously, I feel really bad about the year that I had, that I couldn’t help my team get to the postseason,” Guerrero said. “I said I felt -- that it’s my personal opinion -- that every player gets paid for what they have done. With that said, you guys have got to remember that I signed my contract at the beginning of last year, then I did put up a good year. Then, the kind of playoffs that I had to help the team get into the World Series.”
Getting Guerrero right is the Blue Jays’ No. 1 priority this offseason. It might be No. 2 and No. 3, as well. If he’s hitting 40-plus home runs, then the Blue Jays might have more of an appetite for moments like this, but it lands at a particularly rough time, given the season he’s just had. Guerrero has hit just nine home runs this season with an OPS that’s been hovering below .700.
“He’s got all the potential in the world. We know that. We’ve seen him be one of, if not the best, players in the game,” John Schneider said. “Years like this, they can happen. Myself, the staff and Vlad, he’s not chalking this one up to ‘one of those years.’ He worked tirelessly to get out of the funk he was in. He tried new things. He tried different ways to prepare and he posted every single day. Definitely not what we expected, what he expected. It’s not what we expect out of him going forward and not what he expects out of himself going forward.”