DUNEDIN, Fla. -- First baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays failed to come to terms on a contract extension by his Monday night deadline, paving the way for the 25-year-old star to hit free agency in November.

"They have their numbers; I have my numbers," Guerrero said Tuesday.

Guerrero, a four-time All-Star and son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, said he had set a deadline of 9 p.m. Monday, but the last call from the Blue Jays came at 10:30 p.m. When asked if the team was close to what he was asking, Guerrero simply said, "No."

General manager Ross Atkins, meanwhile, said the Blue Jays' offers were "very, very aggressive."

"I am confident that we exhausted the communication, the ideas, the thoughts and communicated every dollar," Atkins said Tuesday. "... The offers that we made for Vlad would've been record-setting and would've made him one of the highest-paid players in the game."

Without a deal in place, Guerrero said he plans to cut off talks and play out the season as an impending free agent, but he also said later that he "won't close the door" on a "realistic" offer from the Blue Jays.

"Listen, I want to be here. I want to be a Blue Jay for the rest of my career," Guerrero said. "But it's free agency. It's business. So I'm going to have to listen to 29 more teams and they're going to have to compete for that."

Atkins said the Blue Jays would be respectful of Guerrero's wishes and that "we'll never close any doors."

The inability to strike a deal is the latest blow for the Blue Jays, whose pursuit of franchise-caliber talent in recent years was a black mark for the franchise. Toronto's heavy recruitment of two-way star Shohei Ohtani and outfielder Juan Soto wound up in disappointment, as they signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets, respectively, and the potential departure of their best homegrown talent since Hall of Famer Roy Halladay is even more acute.

"Soto's deal had nothing to do with my decision at all," Guerrero said. "Even before that, I knew my value. I knew my number."

Guerrero said the Blue Jays had known about his deadline since last season, and he didn't want negotiations to carry into spring training and become a distraction.

"I don't want -- especially my teammates -- to go through any distractions," Guerrero said. "I'm here today, I'm ready and want to win a lot of games, and I want to make it to the playoffs. That's all."

Toronto could explore a trade for Guerrero, who would warrant one of the biggest returns in recent memory. The Blue Jays, sources said, are more inclined to start the season with Guerrero in their lineup and reassess the possibility of a trade as the July deadline approaches.

"We feel like we have a great team," Atkins said. "Vladdy is a very big part of it, and Vladdy will remain a very big part of it."

Guerrero, meanwhile, said there's no animosity toward the Jays' front office.

"I love the city. I love the fans," Guerrero said. "I mean, it's hard, but at the end of the day, like I say, it's business. I'll do everything that I have to stay here with the Blue Jays. I love it here. I want to be here."

Over his six seasons in Toronto, Guerrero has developed into one of the game's most fearsome hitters. Last season, he hit .323/.396/.544 with 30 home runs and 103 RBIs. And come November, big-market suitors are expected to lavish him with some of the largest contract offers in baseball history.

In the wake of the 15-year, $765 million contract the Mets this winter gave to Soto -- who, along with Guerrero and Fernando Tatis Jr., were part of the all-time-great international signing class in 2015 -- the potential free agent jackpot for Guerrero exceeds what the Blue Jays were willing to offer.

They had tried to lock Guerrero up long term for years to no avail. With the deadline looming, negotiations that had been sporadic over the winter picked up this week with hopes of striking a deal.

Without one in place, Guerrero will report to the Blue Jays' first full workout Tuesday with the specter of his free agency bound to loom over Toronto's season after a last-place finish in the American League East last year.

Since he debuted shortly after his 20th birthday in 2019 and homered 15 times as a rookie, Guerrero has been one of baseball's most recognized players. His breakout season came in 2021, when Guerrero finished second to Aaron Judge in American League MVP voting, hitting .311/.401/.601 with 48 home runs and 111 RBIs.

Guerrero followed with a pair of solid-but-below-expectations seasons in 2022 and 2023, and in mid-May of last season, he sported an OPS under .750 as the Blue Jays struggled en route to an eventual last-place finish. Over his last 116 games, the Guerrero of 2021 reemerged, as he hit .343/.407/.604 with 26 home runs and 84 RBIs.

Between Guerrero and shortstop Bo Bichette's free agency after the 2025 season, the Blue Jays faced a potential reckoning. While Bichette will play out the season and is widely expected not to re-sign with the Blue Jays, the team had hoped an extension for Guerrero would give them a franchise player around whom they could build.

With a payroll expected to exceed the luxury tax threshold of $241 million, the Blue Jays will field a team with playoff aspirations -- and one that just as easily could find itself toward the bottom of the standings, with the defending AL champion New York Yankees, much-improved Boston Red Sox, always-solid Tampa Bay Rays and young-and-talented Baltimore Orioles in the same division.

Already this winter, Toronto shook off the signings of Soto and first baseman Pete Alonso with the Mets, left-hander Max Fried with the Yankees and infielder Alex Bregman with the Red Sox to retool their roster. Toronto gave outfielder Anthony Santander a heavily deferred five-year, $92.5 million contract, brought in future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer on a one-year, $15.5 million deal, bolstered its bullpen with right-handers Jeff Hoffman and Yimi Garcia, and traded for Platinum Glove-winning second baseman Andres Gimenez.

Toronto's long-term commitments will allow for significant financial flexibility going forward -- particularly if it re-allocates the hundreds of millions offered to Guerrero. In addition to Guerrero, Bichette and Scherzer, right-hander Chris Bassitt and relievers Chad Green and Erik Swanson are free agents following this season. Following 2026, the nine-figure deals of outfielder George Springer and right-hander Kevin Gausman come off the books as well.

Building around Guerrero would have been a good place to start. One of only a dozen players in MLB with at least two seasons of six or more Wins Above Replacement since 2021, Guerrero consistently finds himself near the top of MLB leaderboards in hardest-hit balls, a metric that typically translates to great success.

Like his father, who hit 449 home runs and batted .318 over a 16-year career, Guerrero has rare bat-to-ball skills, particularly for a player with top-of-the-scale power. In his six MLB seasons, Guerrero has hit .288/.363/.500 with 160 home runs, 507 RBIs and 551 strikeouts against 349 walks over 3,540 plate appearances.

"My dad played a lot of years, and he never won the World Series," Guerrero said. "And I always say my personal goal is to win a World Series and give the ring to my dad. So that's all I'm looking for."

Originally a third baseman, Guerrero shifted to first base during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Had the Blue Jays signed Alonso, they signaled the possibility of Guerrero returning full-time to third, where he played a dozen games last year.

Without an extension in place, the 6-foot-2, 245-pound Guerrero will have to wait to reset a market that previously had been topped by the eight-year, $248 million extension Miguel Cabrera signed just shy of his 31st birthday in 2014.

Teams without long-term first-base solutions beyond 2025 that could target Guerrero, who turns 26 in March, include the Yankees (Paul Goldschmidt is on a one-year deal) and Mets (Alonso can opt out of his two-year contract following the season).

Jannik Sinner's case was "a million miles away from doping", a senior figure at the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has said.

The men's tennis world number one was handed an immediate three-month ban by Wada on Saturday after reaching a settlement over his two positive drug tests last year.

Sinner, 23, was cleared of any wrongdoing by an independent panel after testing positive for banned substance clostebol in March 2024.

Wada had been seeking a ban of up to two years after launching an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) following the initial decision by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) not to suspend Sinner.

However, a deal was reached when Wada accepted Sinner was inadvertently contaminated and "did not intend to cheat".

Sinner has stated that he was inadvertently contaminated by his physiotherapist, who was treating a cut on his hand with an over-the-counter spray, which was later found to contain the banned substance.

The case has divided the tennis world, with some questioning the timing and length of the ban, how the Italian was able to agree a deal and inconsistencies between recent doping cases.

It led to Switzerland's three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka posting on X: "I don't believe in a clean sport any more."

Novak Djokovic, the 24-time Slam winner, questioned the fairness of the process and said there is "favouritism" towards high-profile players.

"This was a case that was a million miles away from doping," Wada general counsel Ross Wenzel told BBC Sport.

"The scientific feedback that we received was that this could not be a case of intentional doping, including micro-dosing."

Wenzel rejected any suggestion of special treatment and said the terms of the ban - that some have claimed will have little effect on Sinner - were appropriate for the case and not taken with the tennis calendar in mind.

Sinner's suspension began on 9 February and runs until 4 May, making him eligible to play at the French Open - the next Grand Slam - which begins on 25 May.

He has not featured competitively since beating Alexander Zverev in the final of the Australian Open on 26 January and could still be ranked number one when he returns to action.

Wenzel said: "Wada has received messages from those that consider that the sanction was too high and, in some respects, if you have some saying this is unfair on the athlete, and others saying it's not enough, maybe it's an indication that although it's not going to be popular with everyone, maybe it's an indication that it was in the right place.

"When we look at these cases we try to look at them technically, operationally and we don't do it with fear of what the public and the politicians or anyone is going to say."

Who failed their initiation ceremony and who tapes their mouth up to sleep? Wales captain Jac Morgan took BBC Sport's quiz while at the Six Nations launch event.

WATCH MORE: Ireland team-mates quiz with Caelan Doris

Watch Wales v Ireland from 13:15 GMT on Saturday, 22 February on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

This video is available to UK users only.

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has said that coach Carlo Ancelotti has lost his temper with the team "a few times" during their rollercoaster season so far.

Madrid are second in LaLiga -- level on points with leaders Barcelona -- and face Manchester City on Wednesday in their Champions League knockout phase playoff second leg.

However, they have struggled at times this campaign, with no wins in their last three league games, and high-profile defeats to rivals Barcelona -- 4-0 in LaLiga, and 5-2 in the Spanish Supercopa -- and in Europe to Lille, AC Milan and Liverpool.

"I had [coaches] like [Antonio] Conte that would shout like crazy," Courtois told the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast. "It's personalities, you know. I think [Zinedine] Zidane was more calm ... Carlo is also calmer, unless something really happens, like this year a few times.

"But I like that, because I like the balance between being calm and on the right moment, you get mad, because then your words have impact."

Courtois also said there should be "zero tolerance" for racist abuse aimed at players, with teammate Vinícius Júnior frequently being targeted by opposition fans in recent seasons, including in one high-profile incident at Mestalla in May 2023 when the game was paused after Vinícius identified fans who had racially abused him.

"I think sometimes we could have [had] even stronger reactions on the field when stuff has happened, like in Valencia," Courtois said.

"I understand it's not a full stadium, but if as a club, suddenly you have to close part of your stadium, a full stadium, that impact is really big."

Courtois has not played for his national team, Belgium, since June 2023, after a falling out with then coach Domenico Tedesco, who was sacked last month.

"I made peace with it," Courtois said. "Obviously, I miss playing for my country... But, yeah, we'll see what happens.

"I dream to still play at the World Cup, and maybe finish on a high note with the national team. But we will see where it will go... It was just a situation that was not healthy anymore."

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has backed Marcus Rashford to turn his career around at Aston Villa and said he was "really impressed" by the forward when he faced him for the first time.

Rashford joined Villa on loan from Manchester United in January, having fallen out of favour at Old Trafford under Ruben Amorim. The 27-year-old made his Premier League debut for Unai Emery's side in a 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town at the weekend and could feature when Liverpool travel to Villa Park on Wednesday night.

Asked for his opinion on the England international, Slot said: "Of course I knew Marcus Rashford from following the Premier League but the first time I faced him in real life was in the USA [preseason] tour and I was really impressed how fast he is.

"He has a nice height and and he's comfortable on the ball. I think he's a very good player. I hope that, for him, he is going to that Villa but not [on Wednesday]! I will be completely surprised if a player of that quality doesn't show that in the upcoming months."

Liverpool could move 10 points clear at the top of the Premier League table with a victory over Villa, though second-place Arsenal will have a game in hand. It is a continuation of a tough run for Slot's side, who also travel to Manchester City at the weekend before hosting Newcastle United at Anfield later this month.

Reflecting on whether this spell could be season-defining for his team, Slot said: "I see it as 13 games to be played and the next game is the most important one, starting with Villa away which is, like Wolves at home, a difficult game, for us and for everyone.

"They have a great home record, maybe even more if they play in the evening, so we know that it's going to be a challenge. But we have quite an okay away record this season. So it's a game for everyone to look forward to."

Slot also confirmed that Liverpool are set to be without forward Cody Gakpo and defender Joe Gomez against Villa, with the latter set to miss a significant part of the rest of the season.

"Both will be unavailable for tomorrow," Slot said. "Cody is close to being back and Joe will take quite a long time. He will be out for a number of weeks. It is [a big blow] for him and for us."

Spain's football federation (RFEF) said referees are sickened by the abuse Jose Munuera Montero has received since he showed Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham a red card and the situation reflects the "hatred and verbal violence" match officials have to endure.

Montero believed the 21-year-old England midfielder had directed foul language at him during Saturday's 1-1 draw at Osasuna and showed him a straight red card. However, Bellingham and his coach Carlo Ancelotti said the official was mistaken.

"The professional referees are absolutely repulsed by the attacks and threats that our colleague Jose Luis Munuera Montero is receiving through social networks, which not only target him personally but also his family," the RFEF said in a statement late on Monday.

"These attacks add to the hatred and verbal violence through which we have to carry out our professional work every weekend, and that in the base categories becomes, even more regrettably, physical violence in many cases."

Bellingham could face a lengthy ban under guidelines for the use of "offensive terms or attitudes" towards match officials but the player said the referee had misunderstood him.

"I'm an English player ... and when I speak on the pitch it's normal that I use expressions that come naturally to me in English," he told reporters on Saturday.

"There was no insult, you can see in the video right away, it was an expression to myself, I'm not even directing myself towards the referee. But obviously there was a misunderstanding. He's believed I've said it to him."

Jamieson, 30, has only just recovered from a back injury of his own, having spent 10 months out of the game. His hiatus from ODI cricket stretches back even longer - till September 2023. He has recent form going his way though. Jamieson proved his fitness during the Super Smash T20 competition, along with the talents that made him eye-catching in the first place, bowling full lengths and getting the ball to swing in. He picked up 14 wickets in 12 innings at an economy rate of 5.95. Helped by that performance, his domestic team, Canterbury, made it to the final. Jamieson has also earned a PSL deal and will play for Quetta Gladiators later this year.

Western Australia 112 for 1 (Whiteman 67) trail Queensland 147 (Rocchiccioli 7-52) by 35 runs

Spinner Corey Rocchiccioli bagged his best first-class figures as Western Australia dominated Queensland on day one of their Sheffield Shield game.

Rocchiccioli snared 7 for 52 as Queensland were bowled out for 147 at the Gabba in Brisbane. WA cruised to 112 for 1 in reply, with Sam Whiteman making 67.

WA (24.91 points) are in last place, with Queensland (27.75) third on a table topped by South Australia (36.93). But with three games including this fixture remaining, Rocchiccioli's feats have given WA a superb opportunity to jump up the ladder.

The 27-year-old had never previously taken five wickets in a first-class innings but spun his way to a career-best day. He captured seven of the last nine wickets to fall as the Queensland batsmen struggled.

Ben McDermott top-scored with 37 from 112 balls. Next best were No.10 Mitchell Swepson (20 not out) and No. 8 Xavier Bartlett (20).

Matthew Renshaw, Jimmy Peirson and Michael Neser were among those to fall cheaply against Rocchiccioli and paceman Cameron Gannon.

Neser fell to a superb one-handed catch from Rocchiccioli, diving to his right from his own bowling. He also took a smart, diving return catch to dismiss Renshaw.

WA's openers Whiteman and Sam Fanning then cashed in for the visitors with their unbroken partnership. Whiteman set an aggressive tone, smacking seven fours and three sixes in his 88-ball innings before being bowled by Tom Whitney about 25 minutes before stumps. Fanning was more circumspect, striking two fours from his 107 deliveries.