Blue Jays avoid arbitration drama with Ernie Clement and Daulton Varsho

Coming off a near World Series win and wildly spending money on free agents, now is not the time for the Blue Jays to worry about taking important roster players to arbitration.

The team avoided the potentially acrimonious bit of off-season business by reaching agreement with playoff record-setter Ernie Clement, defensive ace centre fielder Daulton Varsho and backup catcher Tyler Heineman.

Clement, who is projected to start the season as the Jays second baseman and set a pos-tseason record with 30 hits, will make $4.6 million US in 2026, a nice bump from the $1.98 million he collected in his breakthrough 2025 season.

The 29-year-old Rochester native appeared in 157 games for the team, shuffling to multiple spots in the infield and being one of manager John Schneider’s most reliable players.

Varsho, who began the season on the injured list after having shoulder surgery, continued to establish himself as one of the best defensive players in the game and will earn $10.75 million this coming season.

Like Clement, that’s a nice bump up from the $8.2 million US he earned in 2025. Varsho, who was limited to 71 regular-season games in 2025, is slated to be a free agent following next season.

Next up was Heineman, who proved to be a reliable backup to starting catcher Alejandro Kirk. Earning the league minimum for his amount of service time of $780,000 last season, Heineman jumps to $1.237 million.

Who is left to sign?

The only other Jays player possibly headed to arbitration is pitcher Eric Lauer, who remains their only unsigned player.

The arbitration process is most noteworthy when a team and player fail to reach agreement and it hits the hearing stage. But the Jays clearly value the impact of Clement and Varsho, especially given their roles in last year’s American League championship season.

The most notable Jays arbitration case in recent seasons occurred in 2024, when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went to a hearing and won, earning a record-setting $19.9-million settlement in what was his final arbitration-eligible season.

Notably in that case, Guerrero attended the hearing personally as a flex against Jays management.

“If I don’t go, I lose,” Guerrero said after the settlement.