Toronto Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro is optimistic the team will be able to keep star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. off the free-agent market when his current contract expires after this season.

"I think we're going to sign him. I think we're going to extend him," Shapiro told reporters on Thursday. "We have such a clear alignment on the desired outcome.

"Vlad wants to play his whole career as a Toronto Blue Jay. We want him to end his career in a Blue Jays uniform and be a true legacy player for the Toronto Blue Jays. That's a pretty good place to start."

Told about Shapiro's comments, Guerrero on Thursday echoed that he remains "optimistic" as well.

"I've always felt good about the whole thing," Guerrero told reporters. "I'm good with that. Just going to keep working very hard and be optimistic, too. Not going to shut the door on them.

"... I'm going to leave that to my agents to work with that. If there's something there, they're going to continue to work with that. I'm just going to be on the field, focusing on my teammates, on my team, on my game."

Guerrero told ESPN earlier this month that the last contract extension proposal his representatives presented to the team before his Feb. 17 deadline fell short of $600 million, and reports said the two sides were roughly $50 million apart.

Shapiro described the reports as "an oversimplification based upon only part of the information."

Guerrero, who turned 26 last Sunday, had a self-imposed deadline of Feb. 17 to reach a contract extension. The sides avoided arbitration earlier in the offseason when they came to terms on a one-year, $28.5 million deal.

Guerrero, who made $19.9 million in 2024, turned in a fourth straight All-Star season, captured his second Silver Slugger Award and finished sixth in American League MVP voting. He hit .323 with a .396 on-base percentage, a .544 slugging percentage, 30 homers and 103 RBIs in 159 games.

Through six major league seasons with the Blue Jays, Guerrero owns a .288/.363/.500 batting line with 160 homers and 507 RBIs in 819 games.

Shapiro would like Guerrero to be what he called a legacy player, spending his entire career with one team. However, Shapiro placed the importance of building a great team over keeping one star player.

"Let me be clear. There's only been one player in my time in Major League Baseball who had a marketing case that significantly and meaningfully offset the value of his contract. One player. Only one," Shapiro said, referring to Shohei Ohtani. "In every other case, I would say the only other thing that actually sells tickets in the hundreds of thousands is winning. There are players who have magnetic personalities, like Vlad, who amplify winning and can really help, but fans don't come to see great players on losing teams."

Field Level Media contributed to this report.

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes' 2024 Topps Chrome Update MLB debut patch autograph card sold for a stunning $1.11 million, including buyer's premium, on Thursday.

It's a record paid for a Skenes card -- whose 2025 base salary is $875,000 -- and the most expensive modern, non-Mike Trout baseball card. (A 1-of-1 Trout rookie card sold for $3.9 million in August 2020, then the most expensive sports card of all time.)

The buyer's identity is currently unknown. The card was sold via Fanatics Collect.

The 1-of-1 numbered card with an on-card autograph includes a patch Skenes wore on his Pirates uniform during his MLB debut, a conceit that MLB exclusive trading card licensee Topps developed and introduced for the 2023 season.

Pre-Skenes, the most paid for one was $150,000 in a private sale for Anthony Volpe's last summer. Jackson Holiday's MLB debut patch autograph card sold for $198,000, including buyer's premium, in Thursday's auction.

The Skenes factor -- the National League's All-Star Game starting pitcher, a Cy Young finalist and Rookie of the Year in 2024 -- spawned a chase rarely seen for a modern sports card, baseball or otherwise. Last Christmas, an 11-year-old Dodgers fan from Los Angeles (the family has chosen to remain anonymous) pulled the Skenes redemption card from his lone Christmas present.

The Pirates offered a bounty, including 30 years of season tickets, a meet-and-greet with Skenes, two signed jerseys and a number of private PNC Park and spring training tours and experiences in exchange for the card. Skenes' girlfriend and LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne offered to host whoever pulled the card for a Pirates game in her suite; Seth Meyers, host of "Late Night with Seth Meyers," also offered a VIP experience just to see the card.

But the family turned it down. They started talking with auction houses in early January and chose Fanatics Collect. Kevin Lenane, Fanatics' Marketplace vice president, flew to Texas to personally collect the Skenes card.

"This was complicated by the fact that the family was evacuated from where they were in Los Angeles multiple times," Lenane said. "I got the card from Topps in Texas and brought it to the family out there, then the following day, graded it for them [with card grader PSA] and brought it back to New York."

On the flight to California, the pilot found out about Lenane's heavily insured cargo, tucked away in a protective case.

"I discreetly shared it with him, [and] he wanted a picture," said Lenane, the former president of PSA, an authentication and grading service. "I honestly felt like Ed McMahon, bringing this check to an excited, modest Southern California family. A lot of times with larger items, you'll spent a bunch of money and make a bunch of money; in this case, the family bought one box of cards for a few hundred bucks, and this is the outcome. It was a pleasure to be able to bring it to them."

The card also caused a pileup at Fanatics' Super Bowl LIX party in February to look at the card, which was encased on a wall. Fanatics Collect CEO Nick Bell said the viewing scene "felt a little like the Mona Lisa" because of the line of people who wanted to take a peek at the rare collectible.

The 11-year-old who pulled the card is a fan of Shohei Ohtani but is still looking forward to talking with Skenes, a meeting Fanatics plans to facilitate down the road, Lenane said.

Bell said he can't recall a time since he joined the company that there has been such fervor over a card.

"I've had more calls and questions about the Skenes card than any other card we've sold on Fanatics," he said. "And that was true within five, 10 minutes of [the card going to auction] being announced. This is the most notable card ever in terms of our impression tracking on social media."

Fanatics Collectibles is based in Los Angeles, and Bell said all Fanatics Collect proceeds will go toward L.A. fire relief. Fanatics has also supported relief efforts with LA Strong merchandise.

The family told Fanatics the sale will send their 11-year-old and his brother to college.

"Whatever they have in mind for their college, they're going to split down the middle as a savings," Lenane said. "There's some small amount set aside for cards, but it's tiny compared to the college bill. The vast majority is going into college-type savings plans."

Securing a match win at the Masters tournament - the tier of ATP events below the four Grand Slams - is another landmark for Fearnley.

This time last year, the Scot was ranked outside of the world's top 500 and still studying at Texas Christian University in the United States.

After a meteoric rise since turning professional in June, Fearnley could break into the top 70 after Miami.

He could also become the British number two at the expense of former Wimbledon semi-finalist Cameron Norrie, who is now ranked 81st.

Fearnley's next challenge at the hard-court event is a second-round match against German top seed Alexander Zverev.

It is a rematch of their Australian Open fourth-round meeting, which three-time Grand Slam finalist Zverev won 6-3 6-4 6-4 on his way to the Melbourne final.

Norrie, 29, faces China's Bu Yunchaokete, who is ranked 69th.

Sean Lynn has named his highly anticipated first Test side since taking over as Wales head coach.

Hannah Jones will lead the team out against Scotland in their Women's Six Nations opener in Edinburgh on Saturday.

She will be joined in the centre by GB Sevens Olympian Kayleigh Powell who usually plays fly-half or full-back.

Fellow Olympian Jasmine Joyce-Butchers starts at 15 with Lisa Neumann and Carys Cox named on the wings.

Lleucu George and Keira Bevan resume their half-back partnership, while the pack has a new look with Lynn showing confidence in the young forwards who shone in the Celtic Challenge.

Maisie Davies and Jenni Scoble join Carys Phillips in the front-row, with Abbie Fleming and Alaw Pyrs packing in behind.

Kate Williams, Bethan Lewis and Georgia Evans make up the back row.

Wales have plenty of experience to call on from the bench which has a five forward and three backs split.

Gwenllian Pyrs has recovered from shoulder surgery and will be looking to join younger sister Alaw on the pitch, while Kelsey Jones has returned from a serious knee injury.

Gwen Crabb has also got some game time under her belt in the Celtic Challenge after overcoming her latest injury, while Donna Rose provides front row cover.

Meg Davies is the replacement scrum-half, with Courtney Keight and Nel Metcalfe the backs.

A three-person panel deemed he had breached Law 9.12 (A player must not strike with any part of the arm, shoulder, head or knee(s)).

France won the match 35-16 to claim the Six Nations title.

After the match, Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend questioned why Mauvaka was able to return to to the pitch, with the officials at the time deeming the challenge not to have great force.

But Townsend pointed out force was irrelevant because it was an off-the-ball incident, not an errant tackle.

Mauvaka will miss Toulouse's Top 14 games against Bordeaux and Pau, as well as the Champions Cup last-16 tie with Sale Sharks.

Cunningham has represented England at Under-18 and Under-20 levels but qualifies for Scotland through her grandmother and Easson revealed: "We have had our eye on her for a little while.

"It is great to see somebody new coming in who drives standards.

"She is experienced, she has been involved with England at under-20, she was involved in their Six Nations squad last year as well, but as soon as I spoke to her, she has been desperate, she has been really excited to be involved in the group and she has fitted in really well."

Scotland and Wales have been drawn in the same pool for this summer's World Cup and Saturday's game is a bit of a step into the unknown given that the visitors have a new head coach after recruiting Sean Lynn from Gloucester-Hartpury.

"There is always a new coach bounce, there is always the excitement of a new coach coming in, but I will be honest, there is a big difference between club rugby and international rugby," Easson said.

"Sean is a good guy, he has done really well at Gloucester and congratulations on that, but this week has been important for us to concentrate more on ourselves than it is the opposition."

Easson is rejecting any suggestion it is a chance to lay down a bit of marker, or gain a psychological edge, over the Welsh for the World Cup.

"I think you have got to respect the Six Nations as the tournament that it is," he said. "It is the best tournament in the world annually and you have to respect Wales in this game because they have got a new coach and they have got new players as well.

"So three, four, five months' time, whatever it is, it could be a different team you are looking at, different styles."

Easson has opted for a split of six forwards and just two backs on the bench.

"I think the 6-2 split for us is exciting to be able to do it - we have got the players to be able to do it now," he added.

After Bath, the fight for the top four is fierce, with only eight points between second-placed Bristol with sixth-placed Harlequins, with Gloucester, Leicester and Saracens in between separated by a single point.

The Bears have not been out of the top four all season and are no longer in European action, so will be able to focus all their efforts solely on the league which might prove crucial.

The third-placed Cherry and Whites are in the best position in the table at this stage of the campaign for the past two seasons after languishing near the bottom.

Their attack has proved a big part of their step forward this season - they have the third highest-scoring tally in the league - but making sure their form does not tail off again will be key as they look to reach their first play-offs since 2019.

The big test for Leicester will be staying focused after coach Michael Cheika confirmed weeks ago he was leaving the club at the end of the season.

The Australian's departure means Tigers are searching for their ninth boss in fewer than nine years, although he said this week the desire to succeed still "burns bright".