Blue Jays, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. $1.85 million apart in contract asks

The Toronto Blue Jays are in a standoff with the face of their franchise.

While they came to terms with 11 players on new one-year contracts yesterday, managing to avoid arbitration with them, it’s the one they didn’t that is drawing the most attention.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. — who finished second in American League MVP voting in 2021 and has long been viewed as the face of the franchise — was unable to come to terms with a new deal with Toronto, and is set to have his contract decided via third-party arbitration.

As per Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi, the Blue Jays filed for a one-year deal at $18.05 million, with Guerrero Jr.’s camp coming in at an ask of $19.9 million.

The Blue Jays filed at $18.05m, Guerrero at $19.9m. The arbitrator must pick one or the other. https://t.co/1sZjCjX5uH

— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) January 12, 2024

The official date for the arbitration hearing has yet to be set.

Guerrero Jr. is no stranger to short-term deals: each of his previous five seasons have all been on one-year contracts, as is normal for young major leaguers. But based on the rules of MLB arbitration, Toronto will either be paying him $18.05 million or $19.9 million this upcoming year, unless the two sides agree to a long-term deal before the hearing.

Following the 2024 season, Guerrero Jr. has one year of arbitration eligibility left, meaning he can head to free agency in 2025. That’d be a tough outcome for Toronto, who first signed the son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero as an international free agent way back in 2015 when “Junior” was just 16 years old.

Though his 2021 campaign was a breakout year that showcased his skills as one of the most dynamic players in baseball, it’s been two consecutive years trying to return to that level.

Guerrero Jr. had a batting average of .264 with 159 hits, 26 homers, 94 RBIs and 78 runs scored in 156 games in 2023, while putting up an OPS mark of .788. By comparison, he put up a mark of .311 with 188 hits, 48 home runs, 111 RBIs and 123 runs scored in 161 games in 2021, while having a career-best 1.002 OPS.

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