Blue Jays Avoid Arbitration With Bonifacio, Happ

August 3, 2012; Washington D.C, USA; Miami Marlins second baseman Emilio Bonifacio (1) fields a ground ball in the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY SportsOn Friday, the Toronto Blue Jays announced that they had come to agreements with infielder Emilio Bonifacio and pitcher J.A. Happ on one-year contracts, successfully avoiding salary arbitration with the pair.

Bonifacio, who was acquired in a November trade with the Marlins that also included Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, John Buck, and Mark Buehrle, agreed to a $2.6 million salary for 2013. The 27-year-old is in his second year of salary arbitration and is under club control until 2015. Bonifacio is coming off a season where he hit .258 with a .645 OPS and 30 stolen bases in just 60 games due to injury. The new contract will be a slight increase over the $2.2 million he made in 2012 with Miami.

Happ was picked up in a mid-season trade with the Astros and appeared in 10 games with the Blue Jays in 2012, but finished the season on September 3rd due to a foot injury. Overall, he posted a 10-11 record with a 4.79 ERA and 144 strike-outs in 28 games (24 starts) and is expected to start the season in the minor leagues as pitching depth. The lefty agreed to a $3.7 million deal, a $1.35 million raise from his 2011 salary with the Astros.

The two agreements leave the Blue Jays with only one more arbitration eligible player. However, the team is expected to come to an agreement with catcher Josh Thole prior to Friday’s deadline to exchange figures.