Vladimir Guerrero Jr., a future Yankee? 'I would never,' Blue Jays star says
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is set to be a very rich man when he signs his next contract, but don't expect it to be with the New York Yankees.
The Toronto Blue Jays' two-time All-Star doubled down on his stance Friday that he will never play for the American League East rivals.
“It’s a personal thing that goes back with my family,” Guerrero Jr. said through a translator, according to the New York Post. “So, that’s my decision. I would never change that.”
Guerrero Jr., who has two more years of arbitration left before he's a free agent in 2026 when he's 27, made the comments before going 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in the Blue Jays' win at Yankee Stadium. He's the son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, who played 16 seasons with the Montreal Expos, Angels franchise, Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles.
In an interview with Dotol Nastra in the offseason, Guerrero said his favorite road city to play in was New York because he loves “(crushing) 'Los Yanquistas' (Yankees fans) and the Yankees, and when asked if he'd ever play for New York, he said, 'No, not even dead,'" according to MLB.com.
Guerrero Jr. is slashing .346/.429/.513 with four home runs and 11 RBI in his fifth season. The 24-year-old has won a Silver Slugger and Gold Glove and finished second in MVP voting (in 2021). He's earning $14.5 million in his second arbitration-eligible year.
“Since you are a little kid, you dream of playing at Yankee Stadium,” Guerrero Jr. said. “Yankee Stadium is always a stadium you want to go to, you want to perform, you want to hit. That’s the mentality all the time when I come here.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 'would never' play for the Yankees
