Blue Jays all-star Guerrero Jr. apologizes for comments made in podcast interview

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. opened and closed a media scrum with an apology to Toronto Blue Jays fans.

Guerrero made the rare decision to ask to speak to reporters Friday nearly four hours before Toronto hosted the Cincinnati Reds to address comments he made in a Spanish-language podcast that was published on Wednesday.

Guerrero said he felt he had to clear the air with “everyone.”

“The main reason I’m here because I regret my comments I made the other day, what I said the other day, and that’s why I’m here,” Guerrero said through interpretor Hector Lebron. “I feel from my heart that my fans, my teammates, they need an apology from me, and that’s [what] I’m here for.

“Obviously, I’m also here because I want to let everyone know that I’m going to continue to working hard to make my contract be great.”

The 27-year-old first baseman was widely criticized for his comments after his Spanish interview with Veronica Batista of Noticias Telemicro went viral on social media.

In that interview, Guerrero said his 14-year, $500-million US contract was for what he had already accomplished in his career, not for what he was projected to do.

“The money they gave me wasn’t for what I’m going to do. It was for what I already did,” said Guerrero in Spanish on the podcast. “They didn’t pay me because I’m going to hit 40 [home runs] every year. They paid me for what I already accomplished.

“People are confused about that, but I think the same way they do. Like, sometimes I even say to myself: Bro, they gave you all that money and you’re out here doing nothing. I try.”

Guerrero didn’t back down from those comments when interviewed by reporters Wednesday in Baltimore after the Blue Jays lost both games of a doubleheader by identical 4-2 scores.

‘Comments not what I wanted to say’

The pair of losses eliminated Toronto from playoff contention and put a cap on a disappointing season a year after the Blue Jays reached the World Series.

Guerrero said he thought about the controversy Thursday, when the Blue Jays had a day off, and decided to apologize to his teammates, coaches, and fans.

“I just give it some thought, and I feel like the comments that I made the other day is not what I really wanted to say,” said Guerrero. “I really feel that everyone, my fans, everyone, deserves an apology from me, and that’s the main reason I’m here today.”

Blue Jays manager John Schneider confirmed Guerrero apologized to his teammates in a players-only meeting and also had several separate conversations directly with Schneider.

“What you see on the field a fun-loving guy and you see a really really good player, but I think that he could be misunderstood sometimes and he’s one of the best teammates that I’ve ever seen,” said Schneider in his office at Rogers Centre. “He definitely puts in the work to post every day and I think some things can kind of get lost in translation, for lack of a better way to say it, but he’s misunderstood maybe a little bit at times.

“He can be an easy target because of the contract and because of everything.”

One of the people Guerrero spoke to Thursday was his father, Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero.

“He basically told me that what I did was wrong, and to make sure that [I do] what I’m doing right now, [giving] all my fans an apology,” said the son.

Guerrero said it’s been a disappointing season. Statistically, the first year of his 14-year contract has been one of his worst seasons with a .263 batting average, nine home runs and 56 runs batted in.

“I’m not going to make any excuses. I mean, basically, I didn’t have a good season,” said Guerrero, who refused to blame ongoing back issues. “My focus right now is going into the off-season, work very hard, and make sure that I come back strong and make my contract a great one.”