Who will the Blue Jays go to arbitration with?
The Blue Jays have roughly 72 hours to avoid arbitration.
While it's unrealistic to think that they will settle all outstanding cases, it's fair to say that some of the eligible players will end up at the arbitration hearing.
With Jordan Romano, Genesis Cabrera, and Dillon Tate out of the picture, the six players with arbitration cases are:
Ernie Clement
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Alejandro Kirk
Alek Manoah
Zach Pop
Daulton Varsho
Erik Swanson was also eligible until he-resigned a new contract this offseason.
Basically, salary arbitration is for players who don't have a contract but also have less than six years service time. If the team and the player can't agree on a dollar figure, then each side files a number, or claim. The arbiter then picks one or the other. It is generally based off of performance.
Obviously, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the biggest name on this last and is due for sizeable pay raise in his last year of eligibility. Ernie Clement also deserves an upgrade after his breakout 2024 season. Daulton Varsho, while struggling offensively for the 2nd consecutive season, might get what he wants as well on the basis of his strong defensive season.
Alek Manoah probably won't get the figure he wants or is projected to make, given his downturn in performance over the last couple of seasons.
Kirk and Pop both had a solid 2024 but also did nothing to stand out.
Going to arbitration with all six would be a headache for the organization, especially in a winter with so many questions still left unanswered. An upcoming arbitration hearing might also inspire Ross Atkins to get a deal done with Guerrero, knowing the implications if one doesn't get done.
The deadline is January 9th at 1:00pm EST.
