If you think a few months might’ve helped Toronto Blue Jays superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reconsider signing with the New York Yankees in the future, think again.
Just over five months ago, Guerrero Jr. told Vincent Carmona Arias on his YouTube channel El Dotol Nastra that he would “never sign with the Yankees, not even dead.”
On Friday, he doubled down.
“It’s a personal thing, it goes back with my family,” Guerrero Jr. explained via interpreter after being asked about his off-season comments. “That’s my decision and I would never change that.”
In fact, Guerrero Jr. seems to relish the opportunity to play against the Yankees and takes particular pride in beating one of baseball’s most iconic teams.
“I like to play in New York,” Guerrero Jr. told Arias in November. “I like to kill the Yankees.”
That makes sense given Guerrero Jr.’s success at the plate at Yankee Stadium. He is batting .289/.344/.579 with 10 home runs and 17 RBI in 31 career games in the Bronx.
In fact, he added another homer — a two-run shot in the first inning — in Friday’s game, the opening tilt of their series against their division rivals.
Earlier this month, Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi reported that Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays have discussed a long-term contract extension but the all-star first baseman says the negotiations didn’t find common ground.
Guerrero Jr. is currently earning $14.5 million this season in his second year of arbitration eligibility.
The 24-year-old first baseman’s comments came prior to the Blue Jays opening a three-game set with the Yankees in the Bronx on Friday night.
Coming into the series, Toronto sits one game behind the Yankees in the AL East standings with an 11-8 record.
Guerrero Jr. has a good start to his year with a .338 average and a .419 on-base percentage heading into Friday’s play. He has 25 hits and three home runs in 74 at-bats so far this season.