The Toronto Blue Jays reached deals with 11 of their 12 arbitration-eligible players on Friday, with the one exception being Bo Bichette.

This inevitably has caused a stir among those who follow the Blue Jays, as the term arbitration is generally synonymous with drama and fractured relationships between teams and players. The concern here is that an arbitration hearing will ultimately result in Bichette not wanting to stick around with the Blue Jays long-term because he’d feel slighted by what’s said about him during the process.
For those who aren’t familiar with the arbitration process, what happens is the two sides get one hour to present a case as to why the player should be paid a certain salary figure for the upcoming season in front of a panel of independent arbitrators. This is generally based on how a player performed in their most recent season, how the player has performed over their career, individual accolades, team success, and what other comparable players at the same position are paid. Both then get a break to prepare counterarguments, and they then present their rebuttals.
After all that, the arbitrators have a few days to pick which side is the winner. They have to eit …

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Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation