A year ago about this time, Ernie Clement was in the midst of an October for the ages.
The Toronto Blue Jays‘ contact maestro delivered more hits in a single postseason than any player had ever tallied.
The only thing missing was the ring. The Blue Jays came up short in Game 7, in extra innings no less.
Clement was the one who came closest to winning it, with a deep drive to left field that nearly fell for the walk-off win before Dodgers centerfielder Andy Pages made a historic catch to preserve a tie game.
It wasn’t the same this season for Clement, though, particularly in the second half, and now the Blue Jays have a choice to make — really, a couple of them.
The first is whether they want Clement to be their starting second baseman again next season. That informs what they do from there.
The next is about Clement’s contract.
Ernie Clement Contract Decision
There will be those this offseason who suggest the Blue Jays should non-tender Clement.
That means that he would become a free agent immediately, even though he still has club control remaining.
The reason to make such a move would be to avoid having to pay Clement whatever value is arrived at in salary arbitration this offseason.
That number is looking like it could come in at more than $7 million. The MLB Trade Rumors arbitration projection for Clement is $7.6 million.
The arbitration process factors in where a player is in his given contract as well as what his production has been — and how that compares historically to other players who have been in similar spots.
The projections by MLBTR are usually in the general ballpark of where things end up. Arbitration can also be contentious, because the team and player each submit a dollar value and essentially argue against one another.
Even if the Blue Jays don’t non-tender Clement, there are a few other paths forward.
Alternate Ernie Clement Paths
There’s both a positional path and a contract path worth discussing.
Defensively, Clement wouldn’t have to be the everyday second baseman anymore. The Blue Jays could decide to make him a utility man again, much like he was in 2025 when he was actually nominated for the AL’s Gold Glove at the newly honored utility position.
And on the contract, the Blue Jays and Clement don’t have to go to arbitration. They’re allowed to negotiate a deal ahead of time. That could potentially avoid some headaches.
Blue Jays fans love Clement, who has been known to walk among the locals to get to the ballpark on foot. Toronto probably doesn’t want to lose him. They’ll just have to figure out how to make it work.
Blue Jays Decision Involves Ernie Clement, $7.6 Million Contract