Leo Morgenstern

For sure. But I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the incentives in Scherzer’s deal could bring it up to $13 million. And I wouldn’t be surprised if those incentives are quite easy for him to hit

In Eric Lauer's mind, he isn't just stretching out as a starter this spring. He's fighting for a role in Toronto's Opening Day rotation. Speaking to members of the media after he started the Blue Jays' first Grapefruit League game on Saturday, Lauer made it clear that he doesn't see himself as the team's sixth (or seventh) starter. “The goal, and the thought, is that I’m going to start this year,” he told Gregor Chisholm of the Toronto Star. Of course, he knows it's not just up to him. But he sees a rotation job as his to lose, not his to win. "As of now, I’m a starter, and that’s where I plan on staying." Despite his admirable confidence, it's hard not to see Lauer as the odd man out of a crowded picture. When the news broke that Shane Bieber would start the season on the IL, it seemed like Toronto's rotation was set: Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Trey Yesavage, Cody Ponce, and José Berríos. With that said, it's not hard to imagine a world in which Lauer looks like one of the team's five best starting options by the end of camp. John Schneider isn't ruling out the possibility. "He's going into this saying 'I want to be one of the starters'," the skipper told reporters, including Sportsnet's Shi Davidi. "If that's the case, that's the case." Barring injury, Gausman and Cease are 1A and 1B. There's nothing that could happen this spring to kick them out of the rotation. Yesavage, Ponce, and Berríos, on the other hand, all have questions to answer. In terms of upside, each has more to offer than Lauer. Yesavage is a top prospect who has already proven he can dominate on the game's highest stage. Ponce is the reigning KBO MVP. Berríos is a two-time All-Star and a 10-year MLB veteran. Yet, Yesavage is also a 22-year-old rookie with one year of professional experience. Ponce flamed out in his first go-around in MLB. Berríos pitched himself out of the rotation just last September. None of these guys is a sure thing. If any or all of Yesavage, Ponce, and Berríos give their coaches reason to worry this spring, and if Lauer dominates the Grapefruit League, why shouldn't the Jays let Lauer start? This is a team that wants every advantage, big or small. It's a team that wants its best pitchers throwing as many innings as possible. If Lauer looks like one of Toronto's five best starters, he belongs in the rotation, especially since he'd add a lefty to an otherwise all-righty mix. Well, sure, in a vacuum. The problem is that Lauer's own success in 2025 could work against him. The Blue Jays know they'll need more than five starters to make it through the season. That's why they have seven on the roster right now, and it's why they've reportedly kept in touch with Max Scherzer. In other words, they know Lauer will get a chance to start eventually, even if he opens the year in the bullpen. They also know that Lauer is capable of making that transition. He was incredibly valuable last year moving back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen. Not everyone can handle that shift so smoothly. There's no way Yesavage pitches in relief, at least not at the beginning of the year. The Jays would be fools to mess with his development like that. Unless they want him to open the season at Triple-A, he'll be on the starting staff. Ponce or Berríos could move to the 'pen, but Ponce is already handling a difficult transition. He'll have to re-adjust to MLB competition (and MLB baseballs) after four years in NPB and the KBO. As for Berríos, his lone bullpen outing last September was his first since another lone September outing in 2017. Before that, he hadn't pitched from the 'pen since 2012, when he made a handful of relief appearances for the Gulf Coast League Twins at 18 years old. What I'm trying to say is that it's more likely Berríos and Ponce would struggle in a swingman role. They just haven't proven they could handle it. The fact that Lauer thrived as a swingman in 2025 could be precisely what keeps him from earning the starting job he wants so badly. It might not be fair, but that won't matter if it's what's best for the team. Such is baseball. So far, Schneider has confirmed next to nothing about his starting rotation. Lauer's hopes are still very much alive. At the same time, the manager has repeatedly emphasized that the Blue Jays signed Ponce to be a starter. "The expectation is pitching as a starting pitcher in the rotation,” Schneider said Wednesday, per Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith. “That’s why we sought him out." Meanwhile, Schneider's latest comments about Berríos were laudatory. "José is fully healthy. He's looked sharp," said Schneider, per MLB.com's Keegan Matheson. "His stuff is back to where it was probably two years ago in terms of velocity and his breaking ball." Berríos recently revealed he was pitching through discomfort throughout last year. He's finally feeling healthy again. As for Yesavage, Schneider has been clear that the Jays will monitor his workload. However, there's been no indication they would keep him off the Opening Day roster. On the contrary, the skipper told Matheson, "We don’t want to pigeonhole it and say that we’re going to cut five or six starts off his season...If he’s feeling great, then great." So, even though Lauer has a confident air about him, he understands things might not go his way. The lefty told Chisholm he was frustrated with the situation, suggesting he had been promised a role in the starting rotation before the offseason. He'll be even more frustrated if he does everything he can to win the job this spring and still misses out. Unfortunately, there's a good chance that's exactly what happens. For all the reasons Lauer succeeded in 2025, he could miss out on the role he's seeking in 2026. View full article

Speaking to the Toronto Star's Mike Wilner, manager John Schneider divulged that the Blue Jays never had any intention of re-signing Bo Bichette to play shortstop. This new information conflicts with the front office's public messaging while Bichette was still a free agent. A week after the World Series ended, The Athletic's Mitch Bannon wrote: "The Jays, [GM Ross] Atkins said, are comfortable with [Andrés] Giménez as their long-term shortstop, if needed...If Bichette is set on a return to shortstop, though, the Jays are open to that configuration, too." Yet, per Schneider's latest comments, the team didn't take long to inform Giménez that he would not be returning to second base. “We communicated that to him in November so he could get physically ready for it,” the skipper explained. It's not surprising that the Jays wanted Giménez to be their shortstop, whether they re-signed Bichette or not. Giménez has been the best defensive second baseman in MLB for the past four seasons, and he proved last fall that he could handle the transition to short. Bichette, meanwhile, was arguably the worst defensive shortstop in the league last year, and he ended up signing with the Mets to play third base. Still, it's interesting to learn that Giménez's full-time move to shortstop was always the plan. Bichette's bat will be missed, but there's no doubt that Toronto's up-the-middle alignment of Giménez, Ernie Clement, Alejandro Kirk, and Daulton Varsho (plus Tyler Heineman and Myles Straw on the bench) will be one of the team's biggest strengths in 2026. View full rumor

Before he could make his first official appearance in spring training, left-hander Ricky Tiedemann suffered a setback: soreness in his pitching elbow. Thankfully, an MRI did not find any structural damage, but the top prospect will not throw for at least the next week (per Sportsnet). Tiedemann, 23, sat out all of 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He was expected to slowly build up his strength and compete for a role in Toronto's big league bullpen at some point this season. This latest news doesn't necessarily change that, but it's hard not to be worried about an update like this concerning a hard-throwing young pitcher. The latest update on right-hander Chay Yeager is even less encouraging. According to Sportsnet's Shi Davidi, the 23-year-old met with Dr. Keith Meister on Tuesday, and he could require surgery. Meister is a well-known specialist when it comes to UCL reconstruction. Yeager is coming off a strong season in which he pitched to a 2.75 ERA and 3.45 FIP in 55.2 innings between High-A and Double-A. He was invited to MLB spring training for the first time this year. View full rumor

Speaking to reporters (including Sportnet's Shi Davidi) after his Grapefruit League debut, José Berríos revealed that he was already pitching through discomfort at this time last spring. He continued dealing with the issue throughout the season, eventually landing on the IL with an elbow/biceps tendon injury. It's no secret that he started to wear down at some point during 2025, but this is the first time he has clarified just how early his troubles started. Thankfully, Berríos is feeling much stronger this spring. "Last year, at this time, I had doubt in my mind already," he explained. "Today, I felt like nothing's on my mind. I'm clear." Berríos gave up two runs on three hits and a walk in his outing on Monday, striking out two Mets batters. He earned five whiffs on 23 swings, and his sinker topped out at 92.7 mph. All told, the righty threw 47 pitches across 2 2/3 innings, plus another 13 in a bullpen session. He said he was pleased with his performance. From 2023-24, Berríos made 64 starts for the Blue Jays with a 3.63 ERA. He had a 3.38 ERA through his first 14 starts in 2025, but struggled to a 4.97 ERA in his final 17 outings (16 starts). According to the pitch models Stuff+ and PitchingBot, his raw stuff declined significantly on four of his five pitches. The drop-off was particularly noticeable over the final three months of the year. Now, however, manager John Schneider says Berríos has regained his best stuff. "His stuff is back to where it was probably two years ago in terms of velocity and his breaking ball," said the skipper, per MLB.com's Keegan Matheson. Hopefully, Berríos can blame his late-season performance on his injury, and now that he's back at full strength, he can pitch more like the pitcher he was before. As things stand, he's a good bet to make Toronto's Opening Day rotation, but if he continues to struggle like he did late last season, he'll run the risk of losing his job when Shane Bieber comes off the IL. Berríos also gave an update on his chances of pitching in the World Baseball Classic. While initial reports suggested he was denied insurance coverage and wouldn't be able to participate, he was later added to Puerto Rico's designated pitcher pool. On Monday, the veteran seemed optimistic he'd be able to join Puerto Rico if they make it to the next round of the tournament, though he'd still need to pass another physical. His willingness to play in the WBC certainly seems like a good sign that he's feeling healthier than he was last year. View full article

Speaking to Sportsnet's Shi Davidi at spring training, Blue Jays manager John Schneider addressed his contract status. The team exercised its option for his services in 2026 last spring, but he will become a free agent next winter without a new deal. “We're talking,” Schneider told Davidi, regarding the possibility of an extension. He went on to express that there is "nowhere else" he'd rather be – and the team knows how he feels. "We've had some discussions about it, and if there's a way to do it for both sides that makes sense, that'd be great...We'll continue to talk, and there's no place I'd rather be than with this group," said Schneider. After the World Series, general manager Ross Atkins told reporters he was discussing an extension with Schneider. Evidently, those conversations are still ongoing. As Davidi notes, Atkins is also in the final year of his contract, while president Mark Shapiro recently signed a five-year extension. Given the Blue Jays' success in 2025, and their aspirations for the coming year, it would be highly surprising if Shapiro lets his GM and manager go through the season in a lame duck position. However, Schneider said that he is currently "focused on right here, right now," rather than worrying about his status for 2027 and beyond. View full rumor

Speaking to Sportsnet's Shi Davidi, Blue Jays right-hander Yimi García confirmed that he will open the 2026 season on the injured list. García, 35, had elbow surgery last September. He has not suffered a setback, but the Blue Jays are simply taking things slow with the veteran reliever, who also dealt with elbow issues in 2024. The righty has not yet thrown off a mound this spring, though he's hoping to do so soon. While it once seemed as if the Blue Jays would have some tough decisions to make regarding their Opening Day bullpen, that might not be an issue anymore. Barring a particularly impressive spring training from Chase Lee or one of the Rule 5 guys (or a last-minute Max Scherzer signing), Toronto's Opening Day bullpen is likely to include Jeff Hoffman, Tyler Rogers, Louis Varland, Brendon Little, Eric Lauer, Tommy Nance, Braydon Fisher, and Mason Fluharty. View full rumor

When I saw the news that the Blue Jays had claimed Ben Cowles, my first thought was, "Why?" Then I thought about it some more, and I realized it actually made quite a bit of sense. Cowles isn't a super flashy acquisition, but Toronto needed him more than you might think. Cowles, 26, started his career in the Yankees organization. A 10th-round draft pick in 2021, he was never a highly-ranked prospect, but he played well as he moved up the system. In 325 games from summer 2021 to summer 2024, moving from the Florida Complex League to Double-A Somerset, he hit for a 126 wRC+. The Cubs liked what he was doing enough to request him in the deal that sent Mark Leiter Jr. back to the Yankees (even though he had a broken wrist at the time), and after the season, Chicago added him to its 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Heading into 2025, Cowles also earned the attention of prospect evaluators across the industry. FanGraphs ranked him 22nd in the Cubs' system. Baseball America and The Athletic both had him at 14. It was the first time any of those sources had included him on their lists. The Athletic's Keith Law praised his "feel for the strike zone" and "hand-eye coordination," while BA highlighted his ability to square up the baseball and crush breaking pitches. FanGraphs had less approbation for his bat but more for his glove. All three publications saw a big league future for him as a utility infielder. Unfortunately, that wrist injury seemed to affect him a lot more than the Cubs thought it would. Not only did Cowles hit poorly in the four games in which he appeared in September 2024 and the 19 games he played in the Arizona Fall League, but he struggled badly throughout the 2025 campaign. Instead of making his MLB debut at some point last year – like many thought he would – he hit for a 75 wRC+ through the end of August, earning himself a DFA. He wasn't any better in September after the White Sox claimed him off waivers, posting a 42 wRC+ in his final 15 games. Cowles was DFA'd twice more this winter. The White Sox cut him in January and the Cubs claimed him back, only to drop him again a month later. This time, it was the Blue Jays who scooped him up. So that's Ben Cowles. He's coming off a very poor 2025 campaign, but he hit well each of the three years prior. He's 26 and yet to make his MLB debut, but he's only one year removed from being a ranked prospect. We're not talking about a future All-Star here, but Cowles has a very real chance to become a capable big league bench bat. The Blue Jays could use someone like that. I mean, hopefully they don't have to. But good teams can't rely on hope. Right now, they project to carry these infielders on their Opening Day roster: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Ernie Clement, Andrés Giménez, and Kazuma Okamoto, as well as infielders/outfielders Addison Barger and Davis Schneider. If another infielder manages to sneak his way into the mix, it will probably be Leo Jiménez. The 24-year-old has MLB experience, he's much more established in the organization, and he's all out of minor league options. Cowles has two option years remaining. That's why he's less likely to break camp with Toronto. But it's also precisely why the Jays acquired him. If Jiménez doesn't make the Opening Day roster (and barring an injury, I don't see how he does), the team will have to designate him for assignment. It's very likely another club would claim him, and all of a sudden, the Blue Jays wouldn't have any infield depth on their 40-man. In that event, an injury would mean they'd have to start the clock on someone else, likely Josh Kasevich, before they necessarily thought he was ready. With Cowles, that's no longer a concern. So yeah, I like this pickup. The Jays effectively had a free 40-man spot (a 60-day IL placement for Bowden Francis was inevitable), and they used it to add depth – and a bit of upside – in a place they really needed it. Good teams add players like Dylan Cease and Tyler Rogers, but they also know when to make small moves like this. View full article

Last week, news broke that Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Santander will miss the next five to six months recovering from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. That's the same shoulder that kept him out for most of the 2025 campaign. Considering Santander first hurt his shoulder all the way back in May, it would be fair to ask why he didn't get this surgery a whole lot earlier. The outfielder addressed that question yesterday, telling reporters (including MLB.com's Keegan Matheson) that his original MRIs did not show a tear. That's why he and the Jays chose to take a rest and rehab approach instead of going the surgical route. Yet, when Santander started swinging a bat again this winter, he still felt uncomfortable. He went for testing, and this time, the tests showed his shoulder was in worse shape than he thought. As John Schneider pointed out, an MRI “usually paints a pretty good picture.” Perhaps that means the tear is a newer development. Perhaps not. “It’s nobody's fault, it just didn't show up,” said Santander. To fill in for the injured slugger, the Blue Jays brought in Jesús Sánchez in a trade with the Astros. They'll also hope Santander can return on the earlier end of his projected timeline. That could have him back in the lineup by mid-July. Yet, Santander has already acknowledged he might not be ready so soon. "Obviously, the other option is to wait until next year," said the switch-hitter. "But I hope it doesn’t go that way.” View full rumor

The Blue Jays like them some versatility. Ernie Clement makes highlight-reel plays all over the infield. He was arguably the best utility player in baseball last season. Addison Barger is the first player in MLB history to play at least 25 games at third base and right field in each of his first two years in the bigs. Even George Springer is hoping to contribute on defense in 2026. Given his age, injury history, and how well he swung the bat last year, no one would be mad if he were a full-time DH. But according to John Schneider, he's a legitimate option in the outfield too. Then there's Andrés Giménez; the Jays acquired the Platinum Glove-winning second baseman because they knew he could also play a good shortstop. And after Toronto signed Kazuma Okamoto this winter, both Ross Atkins and Okamoto himself acknowledged he could take the field at multiple positions. According to Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith, the organization sees him as a capable third baseman and an above-average first baseman. He also has experience in the outfield. There's one more name I should have mentioned by now, and you might be surprised I haven't. Davis Schneider is one of only three active players to have appeared in at least 100 games at second base and in left field over the past three seasons. Funnily enough, the other two are both winners of the utility Gold Glove Award: Brendan Donovan and Mauricio Dubón. The defensive metrics will tell you Schneider has done just fine at each position, albeit in a small sample. He owns a -1 DRS and +1 FRV in 636.1 innings at the keystone and a -1 DRS and +1 FRV in 996.2 innings in left. In theory, all this versatility should allow John Schneider maximum creativity as he fills out his lineup card. The most frequent swap-outs will likely be the righty-batting Davis Schneider and Myles Straw replacing the lefty-batting Barger and Jesús Sánchez for the sake of platoon matchups. Sánchez has been unplayable against southpaws throughout his career. Barger has struggled against lefties too, though the Blue Jays haven't given him much of a chance to improve against same-handed pitching. On that note, I'd like to see Barger in the lineup more often against left-handed starters, at least early in the year. He deserves a chance to prove he's more than a platoon bat. I'm hopeful John Schneider is on the same page. When camp opened, the skipper suggested the everyday right field job was Barger's to lose. Presuming Barger is starting regularly against lefties, the Jays only need one righty-batting outfielder to platoon with Sánchez. If Straw can be that guy, it would free up Schneider as an option at second base. In such a scenario, Clement would slide over to shortstop to give the lefty-batting Giménez a day off. And in case that last paragraph was confusing, here's the lineup I'm proposing: Position Starter vs. LHP C Alejandro Kirk (R) 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (R) 2B Davis Schneider (R) SS Ernie Clement (R) 3B Kazuma Okamoto (R) LF Myles Straw (R) CF Daulton Varsho (L) RF Addison Barger (L) DH George Springer (R) To be clear, I'm not suggesting this should be Toronto's go-to group against all left-handed pitchers. I'm just saying it's an option if the Jays want to maximize offense when they're facing a tough southpaw. This lineup includes every right-handed hitter on the team's projected 26-man roster, as well as Barger and Daulton Varsho. The only realistic alternative is to put Schneider in the outfield and keep Giménez at shortstop. The configuration with Giménez would be stronger defensively, but I think the version with Barger and Varsho would score more runs. Some days, offense is going to be the priority. Or... maybe not. See, I'm not sure how much time Davis Schneider is actually going to see at second base. RosterResource has him taking 161 of his 322 projected plate appearances at second. I think that's ambitious. During the playoffs last year, when every game, every inning, every play mattered more, Schneider appeared in eight games. He started five, all in left field. Meanwhile, Isiah Kiner-Falefa took the field in 15 of Toronto's 18 contests. He played 91 defensive innings, exclusively at second base. Sometimes he came on as a defensive replacement, sometimes he was the one replaced. But by and large, he was the player John Schneider and the Blue Jays wanted in the infield (when it couldn't be Bo Bichette). Kiner-Falefa had a 75 wRC+ in 2025. He has an 82 wRC+ for his career. Conversely, Schneider posted a 127 wRC+ last season, while his career mark is 109. Simply put, Schneider is a vastly superior hitter. There's no debate. According to FanGraphs, Kiner-Falefa has been worth 22.8 offensive runs below average over the last three years and 62.1 below average in his career. Schneider has produced 9.0 offensive runs above average since his debut in 2023. Moreover, IKF gave the Blue Jays next to nothing at the dish throughout the playoffs. He went 6-for-37 (.162) with two doubles, one walk, and a 7 wRC+. That's 93% worse than league average. My aim is not to denigrate Kiner-Falefa. Rather, I'm trying to point out that the Blue Jays watched all that and still decided they wanted to run out a lineup with Kiner-Falefa at second base instead of Schneider. They decided Kiner-Falefa's glove was that good (or Schneider's that bad) for the offensive trade-off to be worth it. To be fair, sometimes Schneider was busy in left field while IKF was manning short, but there were plenty of moments the Jays stuck with Kiner-Falefa while Schneider was sitting on the bench. The Blue Jays played 18 postseason games. Kiner-Falefa and Schneider were only ever in the same starting lineup three times. So, what does all this mean for 2026? Kiner-Falefa is in Boston now, but Toronto still has a pair of excellent defenders up the middle in Clement and Giménez. If the 2025 playoffs are any indication (and I don't see why they wouldn't be), John Schneider and the Blue Jays vastly prefer to have a great glove at second base, even if it means sacrificing some offense. The hypothetical, bat-first lineup I proposed as an option against tough left-handed starters might be just that – hypothetical. Davis Schneider couldn't steal a start from a slumping IKF in the playoffs, so I don't see many starts at second base in his future either. View full article

Right-hander Jesse Hahn will be heading to Blue Jays camp in Dunedin. According to the team's transaction log, they signed the 36-year-old to a minor league contract with a spring training invite on Saturday. From 2014-17, Hahn made 50 starts (53 games) for the Padres and Athletics, pitching to a 4.19 ERA with 212 strikeouts and a 49.7% groundball rate in 286 innings. After tearing his UCL in 2018, he was one of the first pitchers to receive an internal brace procedure. Upon his return, he made a handful of relief appearances for the Royals from 2019-21, putting up a 4.62 ERA in 25.1 innings of work. A shoulder injury ruined most of Hahn's 2021, and he did not pitch professionally for the next two seasons. He made his return to affiliated ball with the Dodgers organization in 2024, and in 2025, he finally made it back to the majors, appearing in three games and tossing five innings for the Mariners. All told, across an unusual career, the righty has pitched 316.1 innings with a 4.24 ERA and 3.4 FanGraphs WAR. He's never been one to overpower hitters, and control has often been an issue, but he's always excelled at inducing groundballs. Hahn will join names like Jorge Alcala and Connor Seabold as righty NRIs in camp with MLB experience. Earlier last week, the Blue Jays also reportedly signed first baseman Juan Yepez, according to Eric Treuden of Just Baseball. He, too, will presumably report to big league spring training, but the team has not yet announced his deal. Yepez, 27, hit 20 home runs with a .730 OPS and a 103 wRC+ in 166 games for the Cardinals and Nationals from 2022-24. The righty batter did not appear in the majors last year, as injury and ineffectiveness kept him at Triple-A. Initially a utility player with experience at first, third, and the corner outfield spots, Yepez has mostly played first base and DH the past two years. He'll have a better chance of making it back to the majors in 2026 if the Blue Jays think he can handle outfield work, so it will be worth watching where he plays in the coming weeks and months. View full rumor

In the wake of the news that Anthony Santander will undergo shoulder surgery, the Toronto Blue Jays have added a new corner outfielder. The Jays announced this morning that they have traded for Jesús Sánchez, sending Joey Loperfido back to the Houston Astros in return. Sánchez, 28, owns a .727 OPS and 98 wRC+ in 580 career games. Really though, his career numbers don't tell the full story. The lefty-batting Sánchez is a platoon-only hitter who should only face same-handed pitching when there's no other choice. He has been consistently productive against right-handed pitchers, with a career 9.0% walk rate, 24.5% strikeout rate, .198 ISO, and 111 wRC+. As for his numbers against lefty pitching? I think his 41 wRC+ (59% worse than league average) tells you all you need to know. A fine baserunner and a capable defender in the corners, Sánchez has the skills to be Toronto's starting left fielder against right-handed pitching. With that said, he'll have competition from Nathan Lukes, barring another trade. Lukes is another left-handed-hitting corner outfielder, and after Santander's injury, manager John Schneider said he expected Lukes to platoon with the righty-batting Davis Schneider in left field. Lukes does not have nearly as much MLB experience as Sánchez, but his career 109 wRC+ against right-handed pitching is similar to Sánchez's 111 mark. Lukes is probably the stronger fielder, but he's three years older, and the sample his defensive metrics come from is small. Sánchez will make $6.8 million in 2026, and he'll be eligible for arbitration one more time in 2027. Loperfido, 26, came over from Houston at the 2024 trade deadline as part of the haul Toronto received for Yusei Kikuchi. Over his year and a half in the Blue Jays organization, the former top prospect flashed promise but failed to make a significant impact. He will now return to his former club, where he will have an easier path to regular playing time. View full article

Last week, Eric Lauer and the Blue Jays argued their cases in front of an arbitration panel. Earlier today, Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi and Ben Nicholson-Smith reported that the Jays won the hearing. That means Lauer will earn $4.4 million for the 2026 season instead of the $5.75 million figure he filed at. Ultimately, $1.35MM in savings is pocket change for the Blue Jays, as is the $1.215 million this will save them on their 2026 luxury tax bill. However, this result is interesting because of the precedent it sets. As I wrote last week: The fact that Lauer will make less money in 2026 (his third year in the arbitration system) than he earned in 2023 (his second year in the system) is bad news not just for Lauer, but for future players who find themselves in a similar position. View full rumor