Tracking Blue Jays arbitration progress at deadline
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Major League Baseball's arbitration deadline passed on Thursday at 1p.m. ET, follow along to track the progress of the Toronto Blue Jays' 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.
Star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went to an arbitration hearing last winter, after the sides could not come to an agreement. Guerrero Jr. won the hearing, earning a $19.9 million salary.
The Blue Jays had 10 players eligible for arbitration entering the off-season. Pitchers Jordan Romano and Genesis Cabrera were each waived by the team, removing them from the list.
Reliever Erik Swanson signed a one-year, $3 million deal in December.
That left 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 as the remaining names, to go along with superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is a special case.
Guerrero Jr.'s 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.
On Thursday, per multiple sources, the Blue Jays agreed to a one-year, $8.2 million deal with Varsho, a one-year, $2.2 million deal with Manoah, a one-year, $1.63 million deal with Sandlin, a one-year, $1.975 million deal with Clement and a one-year, $900,000 deal with Pop.