Blue Jays Expected to Go to Arbitration Hearing with 2025 Pitching Standout
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On Thursday, the Toronto Blue Jays managed to avoid arbitration hearings with three key returning position players from last season's American League pennant-winning club, agreeing to terms on one-year deals with Daulton Varsho, Ernie Clement and Tyler Heineman.
It was a successful day as part of a very strong off-season for the reigning World Series runners-up, albeit with one notable exception. The Blue Jays were unable to come to terms with key starter-turned-reliever Eric Lauer, likely necessitating an arbitration hearing to be held in February.
What Next for Lauer and the Blue Jays?
Toronto can still continue contract negotiations with Lauer up to the arbitration hearing, leaving open the possibility of a resolution in advance of the hearing date. However, Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith reported that the team filed for arbitration at $4.4 million, while the 30-year-old left-hander filed at $5.75 million, leaving a substantial gap between the two sides.
Both sides have a valid case.
Lauer will surely point to an impressive 2025 campaign in which he returned from the KBO to go 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA across 28 games and 15 starts, arguably serving as one of the Blue Jays' most consistent, reliable pitchers during the regular season. As the postseason neared, he accepted a move to the bullpen and continued to offer solid value (3.12 ERA with eight strikeouts in 8.2 innings over five playoff appearances).
For their part, Toronto will likely highlight their own pitching depth, pointing out that Lauer doesn't have a clear place amidst a stacked rotation that features Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage, Cody Ponce and Jose Berrios. Assuming he is ticketed for bullpen duty, that could put some limits on his value.
Should discussions between the two parties get more contentious, as they sometimes do in arbitration hearings, the Blue Jays may draw attention to a middling career track record from Lauer (45-39, 4.13 ERA) that would suggest 2025 was more of an outlier than an indicator of future performance.
In spite of their free agency windfall, Toronto would still like to see Lauer return to the fold in 2026. An important stabilizer last year, he could bring that same steadying presence to the relief corps that added Tyler Rogers and Chase Lee, but could lose Seranthony Dominguez and Nick Sandlin. Furthermore, versatile pitching depth is always in need.
With the free agency of Bo Bichette and a potential pursuit of another impact free agent bat looming, Lauer's contract status may not be the biggest priority on the current to-do list of the Blue Jays' front office. But if 2025 was any indication, he could offer the type of consistency and dependability that is a coveted commodity in baseball.
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Ben Fisher is a long-time sportswriter and baseball lover, dating back to 2008, when he was a member of the media relations team for the Toronto Blue Jays. He has covered a wide range of sports for a seemingly endless array of publications, including The Canadian Press, Fansided and The Hockey Writers. When he isn't writing about sports, he can be found coaching his equally baseball-obsessed sons' Little League teams.