Vladimir Guerrero Jr. plans to become a free agent after the season following the passing of his deadline Tuesday to reach a long-term agreement with the Toronto Blue Jays.

“Listen, I want to be here. I want to be a Blue Jay for the rest of my career,” the four-time All-Star first baseman said through translator Hector Lebron at Blue Jays camp in Dunedin, Fla. “But it’s free agency. It’s business. I’m going to have to listen to 29 more teams and they’re going to have to compete for that.”

Guerrero has a $28.5 million, one-year contract and will be perhaps the top free agent on the market next offseason.

Guerrero, who turns 26 next month, said his last communication with the team came around 10:30 p.m. Monday and the two sides never came close to a deal.

“I have my number all along,” Guerrero said. “I changed it a little bit. I tried, but it still didn’t happen. I know my value. I didn’t see the front office moving to my number. It wasn’t the number I was looking for. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.”

Guerrero had said during the offseason he would cut off negotiations when he reported for spring training.

“I don’t want, especially my teammates, to go through any distractions about that,” Guerrero said. “I’m here today and I’m ready. I want to win a lot of games and I want to make it to the playoffs. That’s all that’s in my head right now.”

Guerrero hit .323 last season with a .940 OPS, 30 homers and 103 RBIs.

“We’re disappointed we couldn’t get a deal done,” Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro said. “When you go into a negotiation, each side has rational for a number. In this case, we couldn’t align on a common number. There’s no such thing as close or not close. There’s done or not done.”

Shapiro maintained the team will not entertain trade offers for Guerrero.

“Our only focus now is winning with Vladdy,” he said.

Guerrero came up through the Toronto system, made his big league debut in 2019 and has a .288 average, .863 OPS, 160 homers and 507 RBs.

TURNER JOINING CUBS >> Justin Turner has agreed to a $6 million, one-year deal with the Chicago Cubs, giving the team additional infield depth.

The addition of Turner would give the team some security at third base should Matt Shaw need more seasoning in the minors. The 23-year-old Shaw has been slowed by a left oblique issue in spring training.

The 40-year-old Turner also could back up Michael Busch at first base and go into the lineup at designated hitter. Turner played for Toronto and Seattle last year, batting .259 with 11 homers, 55 RBIs and a .354 on-base percentage in 139 games.

Turner had a career-high 96 RBIs for the Boston Red Sox in 2023 after spending the previous nine seasons and hitting 156 homers with the Dodgers.

The Cubs pivoted to Turner after pursuing Alex Bregman in free agency. They were in the mix for the two-time All-Star before he agreed to a $120 million, three-year deal with the Red Sox.

Turner made his major league debut with Baltimore in 2009. He is a .285 hitter with 198 homers and 814 RBIs in 1,678 games.

PERDOMO GETS NEW DEAL WITH D-BACKS >> Slick-fielding shortstop Geraldo Perdomo has agreed to a $45 million, four-year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks that begins in 2026.

Perdomo, who could have become eligible for free agency following the 2027 season, will make $2.55 million this year.

The 25-year-old was an All-Star in 2023, the same year he helped the Diamondbacks reach the World Series. He missed a big chunk of last season with a torn meniscus in his right knee and hit .273 with three homers over 98 games.

BUCK IN BOOTH FOR OPENER >> Joe Buck will call his first nationally televised baseball game since 2021 on opening day.

Buck will be in the booth for ESPN when the New York Yankees host the Milwaukee Brewers on March 27 at noon.

Buck was Fox Sports’ lead MLB announcer from 1996 through 2021 and called 24 World Series. He joined ESPN in 2022 to call “Monday Night Football.”

YES Network analyst Joe Girardi and Brewers analyst Bill Schroeder also will be in the booth with Buck.

“Opening Day has always been a signature day on the sports calendar and, personally, it remains special,” Buck said in a statement. “ESPN approached me with this one-off opportunity to help launch the season and it was a quick ‘yes.’”

Buck’s last national baseball broadcast was Nov. 2, 2021, when the Atlanta Braves beat the Houston Astros in Game 6 of the World Series. He did a game with Chip Caray last season when St. Louis faced the Chicago Cubs, a game carried on the Cardinals’ regional sports network feed.