Umpiring: Projections for Eight Blue Jays Players

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Umpiring: Projections for Eight Blue Jays Players
Credit: Sportsnet

In MLB, there are several categories of players.

There are players who don't have enough experience to have control over their salaries. There are players eligible for free agency.

And in between? Players eligible for arbitration.

Of course, players aren't required to go before an arbitrator. But if they can't reach an agreement with their team, they have the option to do so to help their case.

What does this look like for the Blue Jays? Thanks to MLBTR's projections, we have a better idea of the 2027 salaries for the players in question.

Among the big names currently in their arbitration years (spanning three or four years in the arbitration system), eight stand out.

So we'll go through each player and list their projected salary.

This can vary depending on many factors… and the further a player is from full free agency, the less leverage he has to command a higher salary.

We'd also like to remind you that a player who doesn't receive a contract offer (exceeding his 2026 salary) by a certain date will become a free agent.

Clubs are therefore not required to keep players if they ask for too much in the club's opinion: they can simply let them go.

Davis Schneider is three years away from free agency, and his projected salary is $1.3 million. We can expect the Blue Jays to keep him.

Nathan Lukes is four years away from free agency, and his projected salary is $2.1 million. He'll be staying put.

Louis Varland is four years away from free agency, and his projected salary is $3.8 million. He has no chance of leaving.

Spencer Arrighetti is three years away from free agency, and his projected salary is $1.9 million. It's too early to give up on him at that price, despite his difficult 2026 season in Toronto.

Bowden Francis is three years away from free agency, and his projected salary is $1.3 million. At that price, I don't see the club letting him become a free agent.

Josh Smith is two years away from free agency, and his projected salary is $3.7 million. The team won't let him become a free agent, but there's a scenario where he could be traded.

Jose Soriano is two years away from free agency, and his projected salary is $5.6 million. He has no chance of leaving.

Ernie Clement is two years away from free agency, and his projected salary is $7.6 million. And we're wondering what will happen with him.

We expect the team to keep him. But if a salary cap were ever implemented and a good second baseman needed to be signed…

We say this because the team gave him a challenge following the 2026 season. We imagine, however, that he'll be back in 2027, despite everything.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.

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