Blue Jays sign Ernie Clement and Daulton Varsho to new deals with salary increases

Arbitration is baseball's yearly salary haggling, and avoiding a hearing keeps things calm. For Toronto, it also sets a clear number before roster upgrades.

Daulton Varsho, 29, was a power burst in 2025, with 20 homers in 271 plate appearances and a 123 wRC+. FanGraphs credited him with 2.2 WAR, and StatMuse lines up with the homer total.

Even when the bat runs hot and cold, Varsho's routes and jumps let Toronto cheat a step toward the gaps. That helps a pitching staff attack the zone, because loud contact still dies in his glove.

Ernie Clement, also 29, played 157 games and hit .277 with nine homers and 50 RBIs. He scored 83 runs and piled up 3.2 WAR, which is real everyday value.

Clement also keeps the ball in play, striking out 61 times in 588 plate appearances, just a 10.4 percent K rate. On a team that can drift homer-first, that contact turns traffic into runs.

As a fan, I love that the Toronto Blue Jays didn't let this get to February, because hearings can sour relationships fast. Social reports peg Varsho at $10.75M and Clement $4.6 million which is a salary increase for both players.

Varsho is not just leather, either, he hit 18 homers with 58 RBIs in 2024 even in a down offensive year. That baseline matters when you're paying arbitration dollars for a near everyday center fielder.

Clement was drafted by Cleveland in the fourth round in 2017, and he's grown into classic contending roster glue. Locking him in now is Toronto betting that a three-win infielder is not a fluke.

This is how good clubs spend, pay for real contributions, avoid drama, and keep the room focused. Now the next milestone is seeing how Toronto builds the last few roster spots before camp opens.

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