Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays settle at $28.5M
Published
The Toronto Blue Jays and star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have settled ahead of arbitration at $28.5 million, the team announced Thursday.
The deadline to reach a deal before going in front of an arbitrator was Thursday afternoon. The Blue Jays avoided arbitration with all their eligible players on Thursday, also striking deals with seven other players.
Avoiding arbitration with Guerrero is one thing, but the 25-year-old remains unsigned past the 2025 season and multiple reports indicate negotiations on a long-term deal between him and the Jays have not gone well. According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, Guerrero and the Jays are roughly $100 million apart in negotiations, with Guerrero seeking a deal in the neighbourhood of $450 million. He also reports that if Guerrero and the Jays don't reach an extension by Spring Training, he'll likely test free agency.
Guerrero had one of his best seasons in 2024, batting a career-best .323 with 30 home runs and 103 RBI. It was his best season since nearly winning the American League MVP award in 2021 and he led the league in on-base percentage (.401) and slugging (.601).
Guerrero defeated the Jays in arbitration last winter and was awarded a $19.9 million salary over the team's offer of $18.05 million.
Also on Thursday the Blue Jays agreed to a one-year, $8.2 million deal with outfielder Daulton Varsho, a one-year, $2.2 million deal with starter Alek Manoah, a one-year, $1.63 million deal with reliever Nick Sandlin, a one-year, $1.975 million deal with infielder Ernie Clement and a one-year, $900,000 deal with righty Zach Pop.
There were 155 players in MLB eligible for arbitration at the start of the day. Most already reached deals with their teams ahead of the deadline. For the players that didn't, both the player and team will file a desired salary for the 2025 season and have their cases heard by a three-person arbitration panel between Jan. 27 and Feb. 14 in St. Petersburg, Fla.