Reports: Blue Jays, Guerrero avoid arbitration with one-year contract

TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays and slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have avoided arbitration with a one-year contract worth US$28.5 million, according to multiple media reports.

Guerrero had a resurgent past season. The star first baseman hit .323 with 30 homers and 103 RBIs, earning his fourth all-star nod and the Silver Slugger Award.

The 25-year-old face of the franchise, who enters his final season under team control in 2025, also finished sixth in American League MVP voting during a down year for the Blue Jays.

After reaching the post-season in 2020, ’22 and ’23, — falling in the wild-card round each time — Toronto finished last in the AL East last year at 74-88.

Last winter, Guerrero was awarded $19.9 million when an arbitration panel picked his request over the team’s offer of $18.05 million.

Guerrero, who made his big-league debut with Toronto in April 2019, played third base in his rookie year before moving across the diamond in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

His best year came in 2021, when he finished second in the AL MVP race after hitting .311 with 48 homers and 111 RBIs.

Guerrero won a Gold Glove in ’22 but his offensive numbers slipped a little, a trend that continued in ’23. He was in top form this past year, though, anchoring the lineup with a .940 OPS and .544 slugging percentage.

The Blue Jays will open the 2025 regular season on March 27 against the visiting Baltimore Orioles.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 9, 2025.