‘Everyone deserves an apology from me’: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. regretful over controversial contract comments
Photo credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images
By Thomas Hall
Sep 25, 2026, 19:15 EDTUpdated: Sep 25, 2026, 19:19 EDT
TORONTO — Several hours before Friday’s series opener against the Cincinnati Reds, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. stood outside the Blue Jays’ clubhouse in front of a dozen reporters, wanting to clear the air surrounding his earlier comments about his 14-year, $500 million contract — the richest in this franchise’s history.
He wanted to apologize for the viral reaction to a recent interview with Veronica Batista of Noticias Telemicro, which made the rounds on social media during the same day his team was eliminated from post-season contention in Baltimore on Wednesday.
“First of all, the main reason I’m here is because I regret my comments the other day, what I said the other day,” Guerrero said in a statement via translator Hector Lebron. “I feel from my heart that my fans, my teammates… they need an apology from me, and that’s why I’m here.”
Guerrero then addressed concerns around the subject of his future production and where his commitment lies over the remaining 13 years of his mega deal.
“I’m also here because I’m just going to tell everyone that I’m going to continue to keep working hard to make my contract a great one,” he added.
Afterwards, the Blue Jays’ PR opened the floor for questions.
Off the top, Guerrero was asked about the shift in his tone. Only a few days ago, the 27-year-old first baseman doubled down on his comments from the podcast. This time, he didn’t necessarily admit to changing his opinion. He probably hasn’t. However, after using Thursday’s off-day to reflect, he now realizes how hurtful his comments were.
“I just gave it some thought,” Guerrero said, “and I feel like the comments that I made the other day is not what I really wanted to say. I really feel that everyone, [including] my fans, deserves an apology from me, and that’s the main reason I’m here today.”
Guerrero also revealed that he received guidance in the aftermath from his father, Vladimir Guerrero Sr., as he always has throughout his eight major league campaigns. This time, however, the messaging was a little bit different.
“He basically told me that what I did was wrong, and to make sure that I’m here… to do what I’m doing right now, to give all my fans an apology,” he said of their conversation.
Guerrero Sr., a nine-time All-Star and an AL MVP winner in 2004, is well-versed in the pressures around being the face of a franchise — the guy everyone looks to in the room. With great power comes great responsibility in that sense. Anytime you speak, especially in a big market like Toronto, everything becomes magnified. That’s part of the fuel behind this firestorm.
Another is that, when your words hold this much weight, you have to be precise with them. That’s among the lessons to be learned from this mess.
Deciding to hold court with the media on Friday, though, was Guerrero’s intention the moment he walked into Rogers Centre earlier in the day. It wasn’t a directive from the organization, nor from any of his teammates — whom he also apologized to separately, without any of the coaching staff present.
It was solely his decision, and when asked to clarify what message he was trying to say on the podcast, the struggling slugger pointed to his season-long offensive woes and his frustrations tied to them.
“It’s been a disappointing year for me. I couldn’t help my team more to accomplish our goal, and it’s just hard for me,” Guerrero said, adding, “the main reason I’m here is to apologize to everyone for my comments, and knowing that I’m very disappointed about my year.”
Here are manager John Schneider’s thoughts on Guerrero’s efforts to clarify his earlier remarks:
“I think he just wanted to make sure that everyone that supports him kind of knows what he was trying to say,” the club’s skipper said. “So it was a learning moment for sure. But I think it’s good that he wanted to clear the air.”
More than anything, the part about using this as an opportunity to grow and learn feels like the strongest takeaway. It’s also an example of where a bit more maturity likely would’ve prevented this from snowballing to the extent that it has.
What Guerrero said in that interview matters, but just as much does the timing surrounding its release. The fact that it surfaced when it did is the more damning issue. That could’ve and should’ve been handled better, both by Toronto’s franchise cornerstone and the people around him.
Becoming a bit more aware of what he says, how he says things and how they might be perceived likely needs to change, too.
“I think some things can kind of get lost in translation, for lack of a better way to say it,” Schneider said of the public perception around Guerrero. “He can be an easy target because of the contract and because of everything. But I think what matters to him most is what people in here think, and then it’s pretty apparent, especially with today, that he wants the fans that support him and that are going to continue to support him over a long period of time to understand what he’s trying to say.”
Understandably, there are certain instances when Guerrero can be a little “misunderstood sometimes,” as Schneider noted. Being as friendly and comfortable on the field, playing in front of 42,000-plus people — not to mention millions of fans on TV — can rub some people the wrong way and make them feel you’re disinterested, particularly when those instances happen during a blowout loss or something to that degree.
But for those around him 24/7, it’s just his personality. They never question his work ethic or commitment to the game, with Schneider calling him “one of the best teammates that I’ve ever seen,” as they receive a front-row seat to the work that goes into him playing almost every day each season.
To that end, part of the reason Guerrero has been battling a back ailment on and off since before this season’s All-Star break is the number of swings he’s taken — in the cages before and after games — in his five-plus-month attempt to find a solution to the worst offensive performance of his professional career.
“I need some rest mentally, physically. I’m going to make sure that I get some rest, then [it’s] back to work,” Guerrero said about his off-season program. “Work very hard in the off-season, and then come back strong next year because to be the type of player that I am… to have an excellent career, that’s my main goal.”
The Blue Jays’ offence will only travel as far as Guerrero takes it. You can point to that exactly as a key reason they’re headed towards a playoff-less October next week. This team needs him back at his best, the calibre of hitter who took the world by storm during last year’s post-season and this spring’s World Baseball Classic.
Because at the end of the day, the best way he can shift the conversation is by tearing the cover off the ball again.
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