Four-time All-Star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. enjoys one major benefit that many other big leaguers don't: Having a Baseball Hall of Fame father in his corner.
Guerrero Jr., who on Wednesday officially signed the third-richest contract in baseball history in terms of total value at $500 million, appears to have heeded the advice of Vladimir Guerrero Sr. when it comes to his new deal.
While speaking to reporters before the Toronto Blue Jays' 2-1 win over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, Guerrero shared the advice his father gave him during contract negotiations.
"Trust god," Guerrero said, via Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. "My dad told me to trust god, and to get the last penny that I could from the organization."
Guerrero did exactly that. The Blue Jays star's contract includes no deferred payments, a full no-trade clause and a very unique structure. $325 million of the $500 million will be paid out to Guerrero in a signing bonus, while the other $175 million will be paid out in salary. This benefits the Blue Jays slugger both during tax season and in the event that baseball has a work stoppage in the future.
Even as contract negotiations between the two sides hit a snag during spring training, Guerrero, seemingly ticketed for free agency, was steadfast about wanting to remain in Toronto for the rest of his career. To that end, Guerrero's daughter joined his father in making her voice heard during the process.
"That’s one of the hardest ones, right there, when your daughter comes to you and asks you, ‘Daddy, are we going to stay in Toronto?’" Guerrero said. "When you know that your family really wants to stay in Toronto, that was the hard one. All along, they wanted to stay in Toronto."
In putting pen to paper on Wednesday, Guerrero and his family got their wish.
More MLB on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Revealed What His Father Told Him During Blue Jays Contract Talks.
