The Toronto Blue Jays are getting business done ahead of arbitration
FanSided’s Robert Murray reports the team and Ernie Clement have come to terms on a $4.6 million deal for 2026, while The New York Post’s Joel Sherman adds the Blue Jays have settled with Daulton Varsho at $10.75 million.
Source: Ernie Clement and the Blue Jays have agreed at $4.6 million to avoid arbitration.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) January 8, 2026
Clement, 29, appeared in 157 games last season for the team, posting a 4.3 WAR. He batted .277 with 151 hits, nine home runs, 50 runs batted in and a .711 OPS.
The Rochester, NY native starred in the team’s run to the World Series. In 18 postseason games, Clement hit .416 with a major-league record 30 hits, a home run, nine runs batted in and a .977 OPS.
Originally taken with a fourth-round pick of the 2017 MLB Amateur Draft out of Virginia, Clement made his big-league debut with the Cleveland Guardians in 2021. Waived by Cleveland in Sept. of 2022, he finished the season with the Oakland Athletics before signing with the Jays ahead of the 2023 season.
Clement is under team control through 2028.
Daulton Varsho avoided arbitration with the Blue Jays, signing for $10.75M.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) January 8, 2026
Varsho, 29, spent his third season with the team in 2025. Limited to only 71 games due to injury, he batted .238 with 58 hits, 20 home runs, 55 runs batted in and an OPS of .833.
A Gold Glover in 2024, Varsho hit .227 in 18 playoff games with 17 hits, three home runs, 10 runs batted in and an OPS of .667.
A native of Marshfield, WI and the son of former major leaguer Gary Varsho, Varsho spent the first three seasons of his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was acquired by the Blue Jays ahead of the 2023 season in a deal that sent Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno the other way.
Varsho will become a free agent next offseason
