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Jays say money not factor in decision not to call up Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

MLB, Toronto Blue Jays

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was not among the September call-ups for the Toronto Blue Jays, despite being one of baseball's top prospects while tearing up the minor leagues this season.

Asked about the decision Wednesday,  Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro said it was not a financial one.

"It has nothing to do with business," Shapiro told SiriusXM's MLB Network Radio. "It has nothing to do with anything other than we think the best thing for him developmentally is to go play in Arizona (in the fall league there) and continue to develop.

"We think that when he gets here, which would obviously not preclude him from making the team out of spring training next year, which would be evidence of that fact, we think he's got a chance to be an impact player."

When the Blue Jays do call up the 19-year-old Guerrero, his major league service time begins. Thus, the quicker he's called up, the sooner he's eligible for free agency and a potentially big payday.

Shapiro, though, said that didn't factor into the team's decision. Instead, he brought up his experience with the Cleveland Indians and Manny Ramirez, who made his major league debut as a 21-year-old and was "underdeveloped" as a baserunner and a defender and it "took years for him to catch up in those areas.

"We're trying to do everything we humanly can developmentally with an accelerated time frame to ensure that his defense, his preparation, his routine, his understanding of his impact as a leader and as a teammate -- all the different things that go into, that they're taking advantage of and that we can build as strong a foundation as possible when he gets here," Shapiro told SiriusXM Radio regarding Guerrero.

Guerrero was No. 2 on ESPN Insider Keith Law's midseason top 50 prospects list. He hit .402 with 14 home runs and 60 RBIs in Double-A, then was promoted to Triple-A and hit .336 with six home runs and 16 RBIs in 30 games.

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