blue jays signings

Toronto Blue Jays sign big list of players to new one-year contracts

The Toronto Blue Jays are filling up their transactions sheet today.

On the final day where players and teams can file for arbitration before the 2024 season, the Blue Jays have signed six players to one-year deals for next season — with possibly more to come.

Catcher Danny Jansen, infielder Santiago Espinal, and relievers Jordan Romano, Genesis Cabrera, Tim Mayza, and Erik Swanson will all be returning for the 2024 season after settling with the franchise today prior to arbitration, as reported by Robert Murray, Jon Morosi, and Ben Nicholson-Smith.

Romano's deal comes in at $7.5 million and is the richest deal signed by the Jays today.

A native of Markham, Ontario, who's spent his whole career with Toronto since being drafted by them in 2014, Romano had a 5-7 record with an ERA of 2.90, 72 strikeouts and 36 saves in 59 appearances for the Blue Jays in 2023.

Jansen is the second-biggest winner of the day, earning a one-year deal worth $5.2 million.

Like Romano, he's spent his whole career in Toronto, being taken by them in the 2013 MLB draft, and has played for the team in each of the last six seasons.

Jansen had a .228 batting average with 61 hits, 17 home runs, 53 RBIs, and 38 runs scored in 86 games for the Jays in 2023.

Meanwhile, the other four contracts come in at smaller dollar figures, being signed for $3.59 million (Mayza), $2.75 million (Swanson), $2.725 million (Espinal), and $1.512 million (Cabrera), respectively.

The deadline for players to file for arbitration is 8 p.m. ET today. Should players opt to do so, they'll end up in a hearing in late January or early February, where a third party will decide their contract for Toronto next season.

Here are the remaining players who are arbitration-eligible and remain unsigned for the Blue Jays.

  • Cavan Biggio
  • Vlad Guerrero Jr.
  • Alejandro Kirk
  • Nate Pearson
  • Trevor Richards
  • Daulton Varsho

A three-time All-Star with Toronto, Guerrero Jr. is obviously the biggest name set to settle with Toronto ahead of next season. And though Toronto has received trade offers throughout the offseason for Guerrero Jr., we'll know soon enough about what exactly the short-term — and possibly long-term — outlook looks like for him in Toronto.

Lead photo by

 Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports


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