(Photo credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)

Toronto Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro is confident the team will be able to keep star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. off the free-agent market when his current contract expires after this season.

'I think we're going to sign him. I think we're going to extend him,' Shapiro told reporters on Thursday. 'We have such a clear alignment on the desired outcome.

'Vlad wants to play his whole career as a Toronto Blue Jay,' he continued. 'We want him to end his career in a Blue Jays uniform and be a true legacy player for the Toronto Blue Jays. That's a pretty good place to start.'

He's optimistic despite reports last week that the player and organization were roughly $50 million apart, with Guerrero seeking $500 million. Shapiro described the reports as 'an oversimplification based upon only part of the information.'

Guerrero, who turned 26 last Sunday, had a self-imposed deadline of Feb. 17 to reach a contract extension. The sides avoided arbitration earlier in the offseason when they came to terms on a one-year, $28.5 million deal.

'They have their numbers; I have my numbers,' Guerrero said ahead of the start of spring training. 'I love the city. I love the fans. I mean, it's hard, but at the end of the day, like I say, it's business. I'll do everything that I have to to stay here with the Blue Jays. I love it here. I want to be here.'

He made $19.9 million in 2024. That figure was set by an arbitration panel over the $18.05 million that the Blue Jays had offered.

Guerrero turned in a fourth straight All-Star season, captured his second Silver Slugger Award and finished sixth in American League MVP voting in 2024. He hit .323 with a .396 on-base percentage, a .544 slugging percentage, 30 homers and 103 RBIs in 159 games.

Through six major league seasons with the Blue Jays, Guerrero owns a .288/.363/.500 batting line with 160 homers and 507 RBIs in 819 games.

Shapiro would like Guerrero to be what he called a legacy player, spending his entire career with one team. However, Shapiro placed the importance of building a great team over keeping one star player.

'Let me be clear. There's only been one player in my time in Major League Baseball who had a marketing case that significantly and meaningfully offset the value of his contract. One player. Only one,' Shapiro said, referring to Shohei Ohtani. 'In every other case, I would say the only other thing that actually sells tickets in the hundreds of thousands is winning. There are players who have magnetic personalities, like Vlad, who amplify winning and can really help, but fans don't come to see great players on losing teams.'

--Field Level Media