Vladimir Guerrero Jr. received some fatherly advice during contract talks

Call it fatherly wisdom. Or maybe it's just a great comment. Either way, it turns out Vladimir Guerrero Sr. had some advice for his superstar son when it came to his contract situation.

"Trust God. My dad told me to trust God and to get the last penny I could from the organization," Vladimir Guerrero Jr. told MLB.com's Keegan Matheson.

The four-time All-Star clearly listened to him, as Guerrero Jr. agreed to a 14-year, $500 million extension this week with the Blue Jays.

This father-son exchange is fitting, given how much of an impact the two men have had on baseball in Canada. Long before Guerrero Jr.'s 27 took the field at the Rogers Centre, a different Guerrero wearing 27 was making a name for himself in Quebec.

Guerrero Sr. was known for his tremendous arm — which older Blue Jays fans may remember seeing when he gunned down Toronto catcher Alberto Castillo on July 7, 2001 — as he patrolled the outfield for four different teams. During his 16 MLB seasons, he played for the Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Montreal Expos. Guerrero Sr. also spent some time in the Blue Jays farm system in 2012 before retiring in 2014.

It was in Montreal where Guerrero Sr. began his career, starring for the Expos from 1996 until 2003. He was a human highlight reel, which made him popular with baseball fans of all kinds. That was despite playing in Montreal where the team's misfortunes made the Expos an afterthought.

The nine-time All-Star (often as the Expos' lone representative) and eight-time Sliver Slugger smashed 449 home runs and 2,590 hits. He won the 2004 American League MVP Award with the Angels and the 2007 Home Run Derby.

Known for swinging at any pitch — emphasis on ANY pitch — Guerrero parlayed his free-swinging, power-hitting ways into an election into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018.

That same year, Guerrero Jr. hit a walk-off home run during a Blue Jays exhibition game at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, where his father was once a star. Junior was promoted a few months later to the Triple-A Buffalo Bison.

Guerrero Jr. was born during his father's time in Montreal and often found himself on the field as a child in an Expos jersey. As soon as he signed with the Blue Jays as an international free agent in 2015, Guerrero Jr.'s journey to the majors was in the public spotlight. Fans would chase the bus of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Toronto's Double-A team, after watching Guerrero launch ball after ball over the fence. One even hit a building in New Hampshire.

Guerrero Jr. would make his debut in 2019 with the Blue Jays, and go on to win two Silver Sluggers, a Gold Glove, a Hank Aaron Award, a Home Run Derby title and become the youngest All-Star Game MVP.

Keeping Guerrero Jr. in Toronto is a huge win, especially for a fanbase that may feel like it has been beaten down over the last couple of years. The Blue Jays have come up short when it comes to recruiting star players recently, and have seen too many good ones go out the door.

Guerrero Jr. constantly makes time for fans, often talking about how much he loves the fans, the city and the team, referring to all of them as family. He has become the face of the franchise, and often is the heart of the Blue Jays, given how teammates and even team staff talk about him.

In interviews this week, Guerrero Jr. said his family wanted to stay in Toronto.

After the extension was announced, the Blue Jays ownership and front office made statements how big of a deal it was to get the extension done. Players chimed in on how much it meant to keep Guerrero Jr. in a Toronto uniform. The extension not only signals the Blue Jays as a big market team serious about contending, but that the team can attract and keep superstars.

As the Blue Jays social media team put it, he's home. There is still one more family task that needs to be done: Guerrero Jr. wants to win a World Series ring and give it to his father, who did not win one during his career. Then he wants to win at least one more ring for himself.

Obviously, one player won't get that done alone. But for the first time in a long time, it feels possible. And maybe in a way, we can take Guerrero Sr.'s advice. Instead of pennies, though, we'll be able to enjoy every last memorable moment we can from this family.