Seven Blue Jays regulars still without contracts as arbitration deadline approaches
Published
Major League Baseball's arbitration deadline is set to pass on Thursday at 1p.m. ET, and the Toronto Blue Jays have seven players eligible for arbitration who have not yet come to a contract agreement.
If the team and player are not able to come to an agreement on a deal, then the two sides will go before an arbitrator to determine the player's contract for the upcoming season.
The most important player on the list is, of course, first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., whose contract status has been the most important item for Blue Jays management since the beginning of the off-season.
“Nothing has changed in terms of our pursuit of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and we are very hopeful to extend him,” general manager Ross Atkins said at the start of the off-season in October.
Guerrero Jr. hit .323, second-best in the American League, with 30 home runs and 103 runs batted in last season with Toronto.
The 25-year-old finished sixth in AL Most Valuable Player voting last season, and is projected by MLB Trade Rumours to make $29.6 million in arbitration.
Arbitration is not the most pressing concern for Blue Jays' management at this time though. With Guerrero Jr. eligible for free agency following the 2025 campaign, where he will likely be the prized name available, the Blue Jays need to decide whether they want to sign him to a major extension or recoup some value through a trade.
Other players eligible for arbitration that have not come to an agreement with the team include pitchers Alek Manoah, Zach Pop and the newly-acquired Nick Sandlin, Gold Glove-winning centrefielder Daulton Varsho, third baseman Ernie Clement and catcher Alejandro Kirk.
Among those players, Varsho is projected by MLB Trade Rumours to make the most money ($7.7 million), followed by Kirk ($4.4 million), Manoah ($2.4 million), Clement ($1.7 million), Sandlin ($1.6 million) and Pop ($1 million).
If any of the players fail to come to an agreement with the team, each side will submit contract figures to an arbitrator, who will use a wide array of information to determine the winning side. The arbitrators cannot come to a middle point, they must choose one side's number.
Guerrero Jr. won $19.9 million in an arbitration hearing last off-season, which is the record for highest number awarded.