When the Blue Jays signed All-Star slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a 14-year, $500 million contract extension in April, the news was met with some mixed responses from the general baseball public.
Here was a homegrown star, a born Canadian who, with just one year left until free agency and after a lengthy and at times testy negotiation process, was pledging to spend the rest of his career in Toronto. For an MVP-caliber player entering his age-26 season, it was the kind of day that organizations dream about.
