For the second straight off-season, the Blue Jays and one of their stars couldn’t agree on numbers before the arbitration deadline.

Last off-season, it was Bo Bichette and the Jays that couldn’t agree to a deal before the arbitration deadline, before they agreed to buy out his remaining arbitration years with a three-year, $33.6 million deal.
This season, Toronto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr were not able to agree on numbers, as the team wanted to pay him $18.05 million, while Guerrero Jr. wants $19.9 million.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has filed for $19.9 million, while the Blue Jays countered at $18.05 million.
&mdash; Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) <a href="https://twitter.com/Feinsand/status/1745643527675990424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Last season was Guerrero Jr.’s worst in a while, as the 24-year-old first baseman slashed .264/.345/.444 with 26 homers in 682 plate appearances for a 118 wRC+ and a 1 fWAR. This was after a great season in 2022 and an MVP-like season in 2021.
In 2022, Guerrero Jr. slashed .274/.339/.480 with 32 homers in 706 plate appearances for a 133 wRC+ and a 2.8 fWAR. The 2021 season was the only season where he has lived up to his “generational” label so far, as he slashed .311/401/.601 with 48 homers in 698 plate appearances for a 166 wRC+ and a 6.3 fWAR. He also finished second in American League MVP voting after that fantastic 2021 season.
Just because the two parties were unable to find a number prior to the deadline, doesn’t mean they have to go to arbitration. The Blue Jays are a “file and trial” team, meaning that if an agreement is not met, it will go to arbitration unless the parties decide to sign a multi-year deal, as was the case with Bichette last off-season.
We’ll see what happens.
<h2>Blue Jays sign everyone else:</h2>
Toronto had 12 players eligible for arbitration, with the other 11 players signing before the deadline.
The highest contract signed was reliever Jordan Romano’s $7.75 million. Notably, Dualton Varsho signed for $5.65 million and Danny Jansen signed for $5.2 million. The rest of the arbitration figures can be found below.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlueJays</a> announce they’ve reached deals with 11 players to avoid arbitration.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the only arb-eligible player not to. <a href="https://t.co/blVloKpAZr">pic.twitter.com/blVloKpAZr</a>
&mdash; Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) <a href="https://twitter.com/KeeganMatheson/status/1745617576414077045?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Hopefully with most contracts figured out heading into the 2024 season, the Jays can be active and fill the multiple holes on the roster, such as third base and outfield.
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As always, you can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Threads @Brennan_L_D.
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For the second straight off-season, the Blue Jays and one of their stars couldn’t agree on numbers before the arbitration deadline.



Last off-season, it was Bo Bichette and the Jays that couldn’t agree to a deal before the arbitration deadline, before they agreed to buy out his remaining arbitration years with a three-year, $33.6 million deal.

This season, Toronto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr were not able to agree on numbers, as the team wanted to pay him $18.05 million, while Guerrero Jr. wants $19.9 million.

https://twitter.com/Feinsand/status/1745643527675990424

&nbsp;

Last season was Guerrero Jr.’s worst in a while, as the 24-year-old first baseman slashed .264/.345/.444 with 26 homers in 682 plate appearances for a 118 wRC+ and a 1 fWAR. This was after a great season in 2022 and an MVP-like season in 2021.

In 2022, Guerrero Jr. slashed .274/.339/.480 with 32 homers in 706 plate appearances for a 133 wRC+ and a 2.8 fWAR. The 2021 season was the only season where he has lived up to his “generational” label so far, as he slashed .311/401/.601 with 48 homers in 698 plate appearances for a 166 wRC+ and a 6.3 fWAR. He also finished second in American League MVP voting after that fantastic 2021 season.

Just because the two parties were unable to find a number prior to the deadline, doesn’t mean they have to go to arbitration. The Blue Jays are a “file and trial” team, meaning that if an agreement is not met, it will go to arbitration unless the parties decide to sign a multi-year deal, as was the case with Bichette last off-season.

We’ll see what happens.
<h2>Blue Jays sign everyone else:</h2>
Toronto had 12 players eligible for arbitration, with the other 11 players signing before the deadline.

The highest contract signed was reliever Jordan Romano’s $7.75 million. Notably, Dualton Varsho signed for $5.65 million and Danny Jansen signed for $5.2 million. The rest of the arbitration figures can be found below.

https://twitter.com/KeeganMatheson/status/1745617576414077045

&nbsp;

Hopefully with most contracts figured out heading into the 2024 season, the Jays can be active and fill the multiple holes on the roster, such as third base and outfield.

<hr />

As always, you can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Threads @Brennan_L_D.

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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the only Blue Jay heading to arbitration

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