We now know how much the Blue Jays weren't willing to pay Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

We finally have a number. After reporting, non-reporting and everything in between, it seems like we finally know exactly how much Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wanted from the Toronto Blue Jays.

$500 million. That's how much it'll take to make him a Blue Jay for life.

Per a new report from The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal (subscription required), Guerrero wants $500 million in present value in his contract.

Not only is that number significant, but it's also important to note that he wants that in present value, especially when thinking about Anthony Santander's contract.

Report: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wants a contract with $500 million in present value

While MLB teams have used deferrals in contracts for years, the conversation around deferrals hit a fever pitch last offseason when it was revealed that Shohei Ohtani was deferring all but $20 million of the $700 million contract he signed with the Dodgers.

The Blue Jays played the deferral game this offseason with Santander. While his deal was for a five-year, $92.5 million, $61.75 million of that is deferred, which brings the deal closer to $70 million in terms of present day value.

According to the New York Post's Jon Heyman, the Blue Jays offered Guerrero "for about $500 million" last month, though the deal would have ended up being between $400 and $450 million in present day value because of deferrals.

Such a deal would have made Guerrero the third-highest paid player in baseball. But, according to Rosenthal, that wasn't enough.

Guerrero, who turns 26 on Sunday, dropped his resistance to deferrals as his deadline neared, as long as his present value landed at $500 million, the sources said. A contract of that size would be the second largest in major-league history, ahead of Shohei Ohtani’s massively deferred $700 million deal, which carries a present value of $460.8 million," Rosenthal wrote.

Last week, Guerrero spoke to ESPN's Enrique Rojas and Ernesto Jerez and said that he was looking for a 14-year deal. As Rosenthal pointed out, a 14-year, $500 million deal would work out to an AAV of $35.71 million, which would be the 11th-biggest AAV in MLB history.

This latest update adds another chapter to what's already been a dizzying journey. Guerrero spoke after the Blue Jays failed to agree to reach an extension after his self-imposed deadline, where he said that he and the Blue Jays were "never close" in talks. That was followed by Ross Atkins saying that the Blue Jays made a "record setting" offer to Guerrero.

While there's been plenty of posturing and leaks in the time since, we never got a firm idea of what was the roadblock in Guerrero's dealings with Toronto's front office.

That changed today. And, if what Rosenthal is reporting is true, there's no reason that Guerrero shouldn't be a Blue Jay. While large contracts can result teams operating with some kind of financial limitation, the cost of a superstar is going up in MLB. Giving Guerrero a $500 million contract is the cost of doing business in today's MLB.

He's a Canadian citizen who has said that he wants to stay in Toronto. And, most importantly, he's productive and entering the prime of his career.

There's a good chance his contract won't age well. Again, that's a cost of doing business. Toronto was in the running for Ohtani and Juan Soto, which means they likely cleared the $500 million plateau in during those negotiations.

Now we'll wait to see if they're willing to cross that plateau with Guerrero.