The Toronto Blue Jays have avoided arbitration with three key members of their American League championship roster, reaching deals before Thursday's deadline.

Daulton Varsho, Ernie Clement and Tyler Heineman got their salaries secured for the 2026 campaign.

Each of these three players, plus Eric Lauer, are under contract for the 2026 campaign as it is - it's just about finding out how much money they'll play for. This is the same for all arbitration-eligible players around the league.

Any deals reached by Thursday's deadline were certainly done so amicably, and all sides just move on. If deals are not reached by Thursday, that's ok too, but each side is forced to submit a dollar figure that they believe the player deserves to be paid.

Sometimes, the disparity in salary figures is easy to reconcile, but sometimes it isn't, and that's when you get potentially contentious salary arbitration hearings. Those are not desirable for the team or the player, so for the three Jays who have gotten deals done as of now, it's a good thing.

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Now 29 years old, he's a six-year veteran of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Blue Jays. Heading into the final year of his contract, he's a career .227 hitter with three seasons of 20 homers or more. A premium defender, he won the Gold Glove Award in 2024. He played just 71 games last season after coming back from shoulder surgery late in 2024, but he still had 20 home runs in that limited action. He figures to be the team's starting center fielder in 2026, even as rumors about adding Kyle Tucker to the outfield swirl.

The 29-year-old is under contract for the next three seasons and figures to start for Toronto at either second or third base. He hit .277 in a part-time role in 2025, hitting nine homers and driving in 50. But he exploded in the playoffs, setting the postseason record most hits in a single postseason (30).

Now 34, he serves as the backup to catcher Alejandro Kirk. He hit .289 a season ago with three homers and 20 RBIs, though he only played in 61 games. That said, a backup catcher who produces a 114 OPS+ is certainly valuable.

He has until 8 p.m. ET to come to a deal, or else we'll have to go to the "exchanging numbers" process.

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