AL East Notes: Guerrero, Sale, Raise

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the blue jays “haven’t had a conversation yetSlugger told Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi and other reporters about the multi-year extension this winter. increase.I stay focused on working hard and leave that to my teamThe idea of ​​a long-term deal with Guerrero and the Jays has basically been talked about ever since Guerrero entered the majors as a frontrunner in baseball — out loud in Guerrero’s team control. Toronto retains arbitration control of Guerrero through the 2025 season, and both teams have already signed Guerrero to a deal for 2023.

Guerrero is slated to become a free agent before the 27-year-old season, and this relatively early entry into the market means that first basemen will get a particularly big payday from other teams or in the form of extensions from the Blues. could mean waiting for The Jays to lock Guerrero as the face of the franchise. Guerrero and the Jays may have a better view of what it will cost the Blue Jays to maintain Guerrero’s services. It will be interesting to see if negotiations are underway or if we see any real progress towards an extension.

Details from AL East…

• After three seasons full of injuries, Chris Sale He told reporters (including The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham) that he “very, very excitedOn being healthy and heading into his first regular spring training session since 2019. Between Tommy John surgery, broken ribs, and broken fingers and wrists, Sale has barely played in the major leagues since the start of 2020. The season was also the first of a five-year, $145 million contract extension. Red Sox Previous year. Given the lack of return from this extension, Sale feels:I’m borrowing the starting pitcher I thought my teammate would get.I owe the front office the starting pitchers they paid for. I owe the performances the fans paid to come see.Looking for a silver lining in his injury woes, Sale said:t3 years of hats [pitching] it’s not in my arms” Entering the 34-year-old season. “That’s not the case with the odometer. I’ve kept myself in really good shape.good arm. Proceed with pitching without hesitation”
• Seven Raise Players are due for arbitration hearings, which is (according to MLB.com) the third-highest number of hearings by any team in the history of the arbitration process. Baseball operations president Eric Neander felt that negotiations with the seven before the arbitration deadline had failed to reach an agreement.Details about the uniqueness of some players’ career paths lead to a slightly more challenging experience for both parties to find common ground.‘, the executive told Mark Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.But I believe everyone made an effort to find it.As Topkin points out, the difference between the Rays’ submitted salaries and the salaries of the seven players totals just $2.85 million. That said, unless the players sign a multi-year deal, it seems unlikely that a deal will go through before both sides take the case to arbitrators. [RELATED: the full list of the 33 players who are heading for arbitration hearings]