Blue Jays, Guerrero will head to arbitration

The Toronto Blue Jays will head to arbitration with star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. after the sides failed to agree on a contract for 2024 ahead of Thursday's deadline, according to Sportsnet's Shi Davidi.

Guerrero was the only one of Toronto's 11 arbitration-eligible players who failed to reach an agreement with the club.

The Blue Jays filed at $18.05 million, while Guerrero's camp countered at $19.9 million, Davidi reports.

While teams can still negotiate a deal with players up to the start of their hearing, the Blue Jays operate as a "file-and-trial" team. This means that, per club policy, the Blue Jays will always go to arbitration if a deal is not in place before the original deadline.

Guerrero slashed .264/.345/.444 with 28 home runs, 94 RBIs, and 78 runs scored across 156 games for the Blue Jays last season.

The 24-year-old has accrued 3.8 fWAR over the last two seasons after putting up a 6.1 fWAR season when he finished as a finalist for AL MVP in 2021.

Guerrero is projected to earn $20.4 million through arbitration, according to MLB Trade Rumors.