Blue Jays, Donaldson headed for arbitration over $450K
The Toronto Blue Jays and Josh Donaldson were unable to strike a deal prior to Friday's deadline to exchange arbitration figures.
The gap in negotiations between the Blue Jays and the AL MVP is just $450,000 after Donaldson filed at $11.8 million and the club submitted a 2016 salary of $11.35 million.
Donaldson lost his case last year and made $4.3 million.
The Blue Jays are among a group of teams that adopt a file-and-trial policy, meaning once the player and club exchange salaries, the two sides have essentially agreed to argue their cases in an arbitration hearing.
Other clubs that do not enforce that approach are free to negotiate salaries until their scheduled hearings, which begin Feb. 1 and run through Feb. 21.
Despite the small gap in figures, the Blue Jays' offer would represent a $7.05-million raise for Donaldson, notes Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet, which would tie Chris Davis' record for second-year arbitration-eligible position players.
A two-time All-Star and the 2015 AL MVP, the 30-year-old Donaldson hit 41 homers and drove in a league-leading 123 RBIs last year. The Blue Jays third baseman remains under club control through the 2018 season.
Prior to Friday's deadline to exchange salary figures, the Blue Jays settled with six arbitration-eligible players, including new reliever Drew Storen.
- With files from The Associated Press