Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. isn’t shying away from the comments he made during a recent interview regarding his performance after signing a 14-year, $500 million contract last year.
Guerrero told Spanish-language reporter Veronica Batista that he was being paid for what he had done previously, not what he was going to do in the future. Suffice to say, it wasn’t a hit with some Toronto fans.
“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,” Guerrero said. “They didn’t pay me because I’m going to hit 40 (home runs) 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.’ But I try.
“You know how it is with fans, when you’re good, they’re with you 100%. But when you smell like s–, like we like to say here, nobody supports you. The ones who support you are the ones who stay with you. Those are my real fans and I considered them my family.”
Guerrero stood by his comments Wednesday after the defending American League champion Blue Jays (77-82) were eliminated from playoff contention.
“No, I don’t regret myself. I’m not lying with what I say,” Guerrero said through an interpreter. “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.”
Blue Jays manager John Schneider noted the “unfortunate timing” of Guerrero’s comments.
“The player, the person who I know in Vlad, he by no means is just saying, ‘OK, I got paid and I’m good with that,'” Schneider said. “I know the type of worker he is, the type of player he is, the type of teammate he is. He’s going to continue to work to have a better year than he did personally this year, and to be the guy we saw a lot last year in the postseason who helped get us to the World Series.”
An All-Star for six straight seasons, Guerrero is batting .263 with nine home runs, 56 RBIs, a .335 on-base percentage and .360 slugging percentage.
Guerrero is a .285 career hitter with 192 home runs and 647 RBIS in 1,117 regular-season games, all in Toronto.
Last season, he hit .397 (29-for-73) with eight homers and 15 RBIs in 18 playoff games as the Blue Jays reached the World Series before losing in seven games to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was named MVP of the American League Championship Series.
