When Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was a kid, tagging alongside his father, the eminent slugger of the same name, he distinctly remembers an incident involving Yankees security that stuck with him for many, many years.
Guerrero has long been known to have a special grudge against the Yankees, and it has long been presumed that the cause of that grudge dates back to his father, who had an offer from the Yankees which was pulled so that the team could instead pursue slugger Gary Sheffield.
But asked by Jon Heyman of the New York Post about the roots of his disdain for the Pinstripes, Guerrero said it actually preceded those free-agent shenanigans.
“When I was a child with my dad, and like all [players’] kids I was in front of the dugout, and somebody from the Yankees told my dad that ‘You gotta take your kid [inside]. You can’t be on the field,’” Guerrero told The Post. “I felt bad. And it stood with me.”
Yankees Likely to Need a 1B
It remains to be seen whether any of that will prove to be significant. Guerrero is set to become the hottest name in the game this season and not just because of his ability with the bat. More than that, his failure to come to an agreement on a contract extension with the Blue Jays before the start of spring training–the deadline he put on negotiations–has meant that he will become a free agent next winter.
And predictions already have him warranting a sort-of Juan Soto Lite contract, worth in the range of $500 million.
Guerrero is coming off a year in which he hit .323 with a .940 OPS, knocking 30 homers and 103 RBIs. If he stays healthy and does not backslide, he figures to be in for a major deal, as he only turns 26 next month.
He might not be a fit with the Yankees, though the team will need a first baseman, with Paul Goldschmidt only on a one-year deal. Would Guerrero’s anti-Yankees bias prevent him from going to the Bronx?
He insists not.
“If I go to free agency, every team — all 30 teams — are going to have the opportunity to sit down with [me], to talk to me,” Guerrero said through an interpreter to the Post. “I’m OK with everything. It’s in the past.”
