Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wins arbitration hearing against Blue Jays

The arbitrators ruled in favor Vladimir Guerrero Jr At the hearing against the Blue Jays, Sportsnet's Shi Davidi reported (X link). The slugging first baseman will be paid the $19.9 million price his camp is seeking in the PRIME. The team made a deposit amount of $18.05 million.

Guerrero's arbitration case was the most important of all this season. Of the players who went to the hearing, he is easily in line for the highest salary. The $1.85 million gap between his scoring number and the team's proposed rate was the second-largest of the offseason. There is a difference of $1.9 million between the Rangers and… Adulis Garcia Submissions.

This is the third of four trips during the three-time All-Star process. Guerrero made huge profits early in the process. This is partly because he qualified for early arbitration as a Super Two player during the 2021-22 season. It's also a reflection of the massive numbers he posted early in his career, especially during the '21 campaign. Guerrero's MVP runner-up season led to a massive $7.9 million pact for 2022. He and the Jays settled on a $14.5 million deal last winter but couldn't Of finding a mutually acceptable price point this time.

However, this works out well for Guerrero, who received a $5.4 million raise over last season. Although he finished a good year, his production wasn't what he or the team envisioned from one of the most talented offensive players in the sport. Guerrero hit 26 homers and 30 doubles with a .264/.345/.444 batting line over 682 plate appearances.

Toronto's projected payroll is in the $240 million range, as calculated by List resources. They will go through the arbitration process with Guerrero again next season. Winning his case this year sets the stage for discussions next winter to go higher — a player's past salaries are a major factor in determining arbitration rates — and he will hit free agency before his age-27 season.

Guerrero was the only Toronto player to attend a hearing this winter. Players across the league have been victorious in six straight hearings after teams won the first two rounds. There are still 10 cases pending.