Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. failed to live up to his 14-year, $500 million extension in 2026.
The 27-year-old posted the worst numbers of his eight-year career. He hit .260 with a .332 on-base percentage and a .356 slugging percentage in 144 games. His batting average and .688 OPS were career lows.
His nine home runs and 57 RBIs were his fewest in any full season. He drew 56 walks, his lowest total in a full season since his 2019 rookie year. His 95 wRC+ was the lowest of his career.
The drop came after Guerrero hit a franchise-record eight home runs in the 2025 postseason.
2026 season left Guerrero with a long offseason to turn things around.
He made his first move soon after the season ended, undergoing laser eye surgery. Guerrero previously wore contact lenses while playing and glasses off the field.
His second decision follows the path of the New York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.
Vladimir Guerrero Has Career News Emerge
Guerrero will work on his hitting this winter with his father, Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero Sr.
The 27-year-old’s uncle, former major leaguer Wilton Guerrero, will also help. Guerrero Jr. has credited Wilton with teaching him the fundamentals of the game.
The plan mirrors how Goldschmidt responded to his own down year in 2019.
The St. Louis Cardinals acquired Goldschmidt from the Arizona Diamondbacks in December 2018. He signed a five-year, $130 million extension in March 2019 that covered 2020 through 2024.
Goldschmidt then hit .260 in 2019, the same average Guerrero posted this season. He still hit 34 home runs and drove in 97 runs. But his OPS fell from .922 in 2018 to .821.
The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon pointed to what came next as the lesson for Toronto. Goldschmidt spent the following winter and part of 2020 with Jeff Albert, working to fix the lower-half load in his swing and learning about biomechanics.
Several Blue Jays coaches pointed out Guerrero’s load and the tempo of his attack during the season.
Guerrero Sr. hit .318 with 449 home runs over 16 major league seasons. He earned a reputation as a bad-ball hitter. Yet he never struck out more than 95 times in a season. He entered the Hall in 2018.
Former Cincinnati Reds star Joey Votto has already pointed Guerrero toward his father. “Your dad is textbook for what kind of hitter you should be,” Votto said on Sportsnet’s “Blair and Barker” show. Votto said Guerrero kept mistiming the ball and needed to use less of his body in his swing.
Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1 and a lockout appears likely. But it would not stop Guerrero’s work with his father and uncle.
Vladimir Guerrero Enjoys Downtime in Dominican Republic
For now, Guerrero is spending the early offseason with family and friends in the Dominican Republic. He has shared glimpses of that time on his Team Guerrero 27 YouTube channel.
In a recent video, he and friends visited his farm in Don Gregorio to harvest coconuts. Guerrero stepped out of the car in the video with his hair dyed pink.
He also appeared in a local baseball game hitting home runs.
The hitting work with his father and uncle comes next. Guerrero enters 2027 in the second year of a contract that runs through 2039.
Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s Career Decision Copies Yankees’ Paul Goldschmidt