NEW YORK -- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays avoided a salary arbitration hearing when the first baseman agreed Thursday to a $28.5 million, one-year contract on the day players and teams were to exchange proposed figures.

Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez also agreed to a one-year contract for $18 million.

Guerrero and Valdez can become free agents after the World Series.

Tarik Skubal, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, received $10.15 million from the Detroit Tigers two years before he's eligible for free agency, more than three times what he earned the prior season.

Guerrero, son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, won a $19.9 million salary last year in a record high for an arbitration decision when a panel picked his figure rather than the Blue Jays' $18.05 million offer.

Juan Soto set a record for an arbitration-eligible player when he agreed last year to a $31 million deal with the New York Yankees, topping Shohei Ohtani's $30 million 2023 contract with the Los Angeles Angels. Soto became a free agent in November and signed a record $765 million, 15-year contract with the New York Mets.

Guerrero wasn't the only player to agree with the Blue Jays, as outfielder Daulton Varsho $8.2 million) and catcher Alejandro Kirk ($4.6 million) also reached one-year deals. The Astros, meanwhile, also reached deals with new third baseman Isaac Paredes ($6.625 million) and shortstop Jeremy Pena ($4.1 million).

There were 155 players eligible for arbitration at the start of the day and a majority were expected to agree to deals.

Among them:

• Three-time batting champion Luis Arraez agreed to a $14 million salary and right-hander Dylan Cease agreed to $13.75 million for the 2025 season with the San Diego Padres.

• The Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to deals with starting pitcher Zac Gallen ($13.5 million) and first baseman Josh Naylor ($10.9 million). Gallen went 14-6 with a 3.65 ERA and 156 strikeouts last season, while Naylor batted .243 with 31 home runs and 108 RBIs.

• The Seattle Mariners reached an $11.3 million deal with outfielder Randy Arozarena, who batted .219 with 20 home runs and 60 RBIs last season.

• The New York Yankees and two-time All-Star reliever Devin Williams, who was acquired in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers this offseason, agreed to an $8.6 million contract.

• The World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers locked in a pair of key right-handed relievers, coming to terms on one-year deals with Michael Kopech ($5.2 million) and Brusdar Graterol ($2.8 million).

• The Chicago White Sox signed first baseman Andrew Vaughn for $5.85 million. He batted .246 last season with 19 home runs, 70 RBIs and tied a career high with 30 doubles.

For players failing to reach agreements, including new Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker and Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran, hearings will be scheduled before three-person panels from Jan. 27 through Feb. 14 at St. Petersburg, Florida.

Players went 9-6 in hearings last winter, leading teams with a 353-266 advantage since arbitration started in 1974. The 15 hearings were down from 19 last year, when the clubs won 13, but up from 13 in 2022, when teams won nine. Players had a winning record for the first time since going 6-4 in 2019.

A total of 169 players were eligible for arbitration after the November deadline for teams to tender 2025 contracts to unsigned players on their 40-man rosters, down from 238 at the start of the prior week.

All agreements for arbitration-eligible players are guaranteed but deals that went to panel decisions are not.

San Francisco third baseman J.D. Davis and Mets right-hander Phil Bickford were released after winning their cases last year.

Davis received $1,112,903. in termination pay rather than a $6.9 million salary and Bickford got $217,742 rather than the $900,000. Davis then signed a $2.5 million deal with Oakland and Bickford got a deal with the Yankees that paid $1.1 million while in the major leagues and $180,000 while in the minors.

ESPN's Alden Gonzalez, The Associated Press and Field Level Media contributed to this report.

"It wasn't bad enough, probably, for me to go down in the way that I did. I probably could have carried on and allowed the ref to pull it back afterwards if he thought there was foul play, but in that moment, whether my judgement was clouded or not, I felt like I was hit head on head, so I went down.

"I was completely entitled to. I didn't cheat the system. I didn't dive. By the letter of the law, and for our own safety, if there's a head collision, you're allowed to go down and the ref can review it."

Northampton snatched a 35-34 success against the Premiership leaders through Fin Smith's penalty with the last kick of the game.

Lawrence, 25, did not have a head injury assessment because the collision did not merit medical intervention according to data collected on the sidelines.

"I don't think I was cheating," he added.

"People say I brought the game into disrepute. I would argue that I didn't. I just went by the letter of the law. But I do apologise for that because, at the end of the day, there are a lot of kids that look up to us as players and I don't want people to think that I'm a cheat or a diver.

"I want people to play the game and enjoy it and play it in the right spirit so, like I said, I apologise for my actions in that moment. I'll leave the referee to decide if there's head contact in the future."

Lawrence was seen smiling in the aftermath when team-mate Finn Russell lined up the resulting penalty as the Franklin's Gardens crowd jeered.

"In terms of my reactions during the game, I do smile after I make a mistake," he said.

"It's something I have done my whole career. It's just my way of getting over it and moving on to the next thing. There was no wry smile or a wink or whatever people seem to think they saw.

"That's just me cracking on and getting on with the next thing. I'm probably just talking to the next person on the field next to me and making a joke at some point because, at the end of the day, I'm trying to get over it and get on to the next thing."

Barcelona vice president Juli Guiu has stepped down over discrepancies relating to the club's new deal with Nike, sources have confirmed to ESPN.

Barça confirmed Guiu's resignation in a short statement on Thursday.

"Barcelona inform that Guiu has presented his irrevocable resignation as vice president for personal reasons," the club said.

"We would like to thank him for his services and dedication to the institution since joining the board of directors in 2021, during which time he has been a key player in the agreements with the club's major partners in recent years."

Sources explained to ESPN that Guiu's decision came on the back of Barça's new multi-year agreement with Nike, which is worth over 100m ($103m) a year.

Guiu disagreed with some of the terms of the deal, ended up being sidelined in the negotiations and also protested the amount of commission paid to the agent Darren Dein, who acted as an intermediary between Barça and Nike.

Barça announced the deal with long-term partner Nike in November, with president Joan Laporta claiming it is the biggest of its kind in football.

The agreement was ratified by members at an emergency meeting called in December and has helped improve the club's financial situation.

Guiu was one of four vice presidents and was in charge of marketing.

During his time at the club he played a key role in bringing several new sponsors on board, including Spotify, who are Barça's main sponsor and have also bought the naming rights to Camp Nou.

His resignation comes as off field issues continue to make headlines at Barça, with Spain's sports ministry the Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD) this week allowing temporary player registrations for Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor.

The CSD's decision goes against ruling made by LaLiga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), which said Barça had missed a deadline to prove they were compliant with financial fair play regulations (FFP) and could not register players for a second time in the same season.

The decision has been met with incredulity by LaLiga sides, with Atlético Madrid and Las Palmas condemning the ruling, but sources said the saga has nothing to do with Guiu's departure.

LOS ANGELES -- Amid wildfires raging through Southern California, both Los Angeles football teams held outdoor practices Thursday as they prepare for the first round of the playoffs this weekend.

Smoke was visible from the field at the Rams team facility in Woodland Hills, California, and many Chargers players wore masks.

The Rams are scheduled to host the Minnesota Vikings at SoFi Stadium at 8 p.m. Monday in Inglewood, California. On Wednesday, the NFL said it's continuing to prepare for the game at SoFi Stadium, but if there's a need to move it because of the fires, it will be played Monday night at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

"I am expecting the game to be in SoFi," Rams coach Sean McVay said. "We're operating with the full expectation that that's where we're going to play."

McVay said while players, coaches and staff have been affected by the fires, "fortunately to my knowledge, nobody has been injured. And for that we're grateful."

"It's one of those deals that almost doesn't feel real, but it certainly is real to the people that are affected," McVay said. "Praying that as many people are OK. And you just see the amount of people that are affected and it's one of those deals that it gives you perspective, and so hopefully you get this stuff under control."

A fire broke out Thursday in the Calabasas/Hidden Hills area, neighborhoods that are home to several Rams players and coaches. The team canceled its player media availability so everybody could go home quickly.

McVay said the Rams are monitoring air quality at their practice facility. If needed, the team has explored the possibility of moving practice to SoFi Stadium, but McVay said he doesn't expect to get to that point.

Defensive lineman Harrison Phillips, the Vikings' player representative to the NFLPA, said the league should be conscious of the optics of playing the game in Los Angeles, juxtaposing it with the NBA postponing the Lakers' game against the Hornets scheduled for Thursday night in downtown Los Angeles. Phillips noted that the Lakers play in an indoor facility, and SoFi is an open-air stadium.

"When a hurricane hits a certain location, or if a tornado came through and devastated a community, you want to be very cautious of the optics.," he said. "And again, I strictly say this from a human standpoint, not as a Minnesota Viking who wants a better competitive advantage. That's not where it's coming from."

Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell, who is from the San Diego area, said he reached out to McVay to show support.

"There's really no words you can say other than you're thinking about them, praying for them, and just hoping that things start to turn here," O'Connell said.

The Chargers will play the Texans in Houston on Saturday at 4:30 ET and held their final practice Thursday ahead of the game. The scene was dystopian at the Chargers facility in El Segundo: The skies were burnt orange, ashes flew around the field and many players, including outside linebacker Khalil Mack, tackle Joe Alt and quarterback Taylor Heinicke, wore masks.

The Chargers do not have an indoor practice facility. Coach Jim Harbaugh said he followed the suggestions of "experts" in altering practice, so players were outside for roughly 45 minutes, which is half the typical time they practice outside. Harbaugh said they didn't consider flying to Houston early and practicing there.

"Our guys did a great job with improvising and adjusting," he said. "And really, we were able to get as close as we possibly could to what a normal practice would look like."

Harbaugh also said that his daughter Grace evacuated from her home in the Hollywood area Wednesday night and is staying with him.

Outside linebacker Joey Bosa said he lives close to an evacuation zone and his fiancée and dog went to Houston early. Bosa said he slept with his phone notifications on loud Wednesday night in case he would have to evacuate.

"Hoping when I get back to LA, I have a house to go to," Bosa said.

Information from ESPN's Kevin Seifert was used in this report.

Williams follows team-mates Cam Winnett, Ben Thomas, Liam Belcher and Alun Lawrence in signing new deals at the Arms Park, as well as Regan Grace until the end of the season.

Cardiff-born fly-half Ioan Lloyd, 23, also looks set to join Cardiff from Scarlets in the summer.

Sherratt added: "We have been very clear with our ambition of ensuring our homegrown players are committed to the club and I am delighted that we have secured the services of Teddy."

Williams' late father Owain played for Cardiff, while younger brother Gabe has also broken into the region's under-18s squad.

"The club means a lot to me and it just feels like this is the right place for me to progress," said Williams.

"The club is moving in the right direction and I feel I'm playing some of my best rugby right now. Hopefully that can see me play more for Wales."

Former Wales and British and Irish Lions star George North is set for his club rugby debut in France.

The 32-year-old joined French second-tier side Provence for the start of 2024-25.

But after committing to the move from Ospreys, North suffered a ruptured Achilles in his final Wales Test, a 2024 Six Nations defeat by Italy in Cardiff.

He has been named on the bench for Provence in the Pro D2 at Agen on Friday, 10 January.

North posted on social media: "Looking forward to getting out there! Been a long time."

Former chairman Tom Ilube, part of the RFU's renumeration committee who approved Sweeney's recent bonus, stepped down in December.

His departure and the launch of an independent review of the scheme that boosted the pay of Sweeney and five further executives has not quelled discontent though.

If Sweeney's critics can provide the paperwork to show the necessary support, a special general meeting would be called in the midst of the men's Six Nations.

Several club officials explained their decision to support the no-confidence motion.

"The recent decision of the RFU to award bonuses to senior staff is beyond belief," said David Morton, secretary of sixth-tier Carlisle.

"The RFU keep trumpeting community rugby as the lifeblood of the game, while at the same time seemingly treating them like paupers."

"Every club I know wants to see change at the top, new leadership and a new approach to taking English rugby forward at all levels," added Paddy McAlpine, chairman of Chichester, who are also in tier six.

However, the nine professional referees employed by the RFU distanced themselves from the motion, saying they had not been consulted by the referees' union behind it and added they "have not endorsed any statements or meetings".