An Update on the Blue Jays’ Arbitration-Eligible Players

[Leo Morgenstern]

The Toronto Blue Jays came into the offseason with seven players eligible for arbitration. Four of them were locks to be tendered a contract: Daulton Varsho, Ernie Clement, Eric Lauer, and Tyler Heineman. The others were Nick Sandlin, Ryan Burr, and Dillon Tate. The team DFA’d and outrighted those three pitchers in November, and each elected free agency. 

This past Thursday at 1:00 pm ET was the deadline for teams to come to terms with their arbitration-eligible players before they must schedule an arbitration hearing. The deadline for each side to submit salary figures was later in the evening, at 8:00 pm ET. 

Teams and players can still avoid arbitration after exchanging figures, although some organizations prefer to take what’s known as a “file-and-trial” approach. In other words, once they have filed for arbitration, they will refrain from negotiating. The Blue Jays are often considered a file-and-trial club.

When teams and players are unable to agree on a contract and avoid arbitration, they go to a hearing (usually sometime in February) and make their cases for the salary figures they filed to a panel of arbitrators. The panel will pick one of the two salary figures for the player.

For example, when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was entering his third arbitration-eligible season (out of four), he and the Blue Jays were unable to come to terms on a deal prior to the deadline. He and his agents filed for a $19.9 million salary, while the team countered with $18.05 million. Guerrero won at the hearing and received $19.9 million for the 2024 season. That remains the highest salary ever awarded in an arbitration hearing. The following year, the Jays were able to avoid arbitration with their superstar, agreeing to a $28.5 million contract exactly one year ago today.

This year, the Blue Jays agreed to terms with three of their four arbitration-eligible players on deadline day: Varsho, Clement, and Heineman. Here are the pertinent details. 

Daulton Varsho

MLB Trade Rumors projected a $9.7 million salary for Varsho in his final season of arbitration. The Gold Glove center fielder ended up signing a one-year, $10.75 million contract to avoid arbitration, just over $1 million more than his projection (per the New York Post’s Joel Sherman).

Ernie Clement

Clement was projected to earn $4.3 million in his first year of arbitration eligibility. He and the Blue Jays avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $4.6 million deal (per The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon).

Tyler Heineman 

Heineman was projected to earn $1 million in his long-awaited first season of arbitration. He and the Blue Jays agreed to a one-year deal worth $1,237,500 (per Nicholson-Smith).

Eric Lauer

Lauer was projected to earn $4.4 million in his last year as an arbitration-eligible player. The Blue Jays filed at exactly that number, while Lauer and his agents filed at $5.75 million. According to Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith, the two sides are likely to go to an arbitration hearing.

To learn more about how the arbitration process works and why it exists, check out this article by DiamondCentric’s Maddie Landis.

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