Blue Jays Rasmus, Cecil, and Rogers Officially File for Arbitration

Jul 31, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Brett Cecil (27) pitches the ball against the Oakland Athletics during the tenth inning at O.co Coliseum. The Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Oakland Athletics 5-2. Mandatory Credit: L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

It’s official, all three members of the Toronto Blue Jays that were eligible for salary arbitration have filed. Colby Rasmus, Brett Cecil, and Esmil Rogers all had until January 17th to officially file the necessary paperwork, but all took care of business a few days earlier, according to John Lott of The National Post.

MLB Trade Rumors did a fantastic breakdown of the Blue Jays arbitration eligible players back in October. At the time, their model showed decent raises for all three eligible players.

Colby Rasmus: $6.5 Million (+ $1.825)
Brett Cecil: $900K (+ $390K)
Esmil Rogers: $1 Million (+ $410K)

It is worth noting that players can continue to negotiate contracts with the clubs right up until the moment of their hearing, and more often that not, teams and players will find a common ground on a contract.

Rasmus, entering his final year of arbitration eligibility this winter, settled on a contract with the team last season without proceeding to a hearing. While MLBtr pegged him at making possibly $6.5 million this year, recent contracts from his contemporaries in center field may also push Rasmus to ask for more. When we discussed their cases earlier this winter, I used Coco Crisp as a relatively good model for Rasmus, and I’m sticking to that assessment. With that in mind, Rasmus would be in line for a payday north of $7 million.

Cecil and Rogers are a bit different in their cases, so it will be interesting to see how the two approach their demands, if things proceed to that point.

Cecil easily had the better of the two seasons, making the All-Star team while making a successful jump to the bullpen. He finished the year with a 5-1 record, a 2.82 ERA, a career-high 10.4 K/9 ratio, 2.99 xFIP. In this regard, MLBtr is likely spot on, especially with this being Cecil’s first year of eligibility and his track record not supporting a long-term success prior to last season.

Rogers will be a test, and could be the case that comes down to a hearing. Given the fact that he split the season between the bullpen and the rotation, he’ll likely try to increase his value by making his case as a starter. His 4.77 ERA was nothing special, but his 4.06 xFIP is something his team will work on, especially given his HR/FB rate sat at an above average 15.8%. MLBtr has him pegged for $1 million through arbitration which seems a bit high, but not unlikely. The Blue Jays will likely want him lower, especially given the fact that they are unlikely to deploy him as a starter and he wasn’t overly impressive in relief situations either.

It is also worth noting that we would also be talking about J.P. Arencibia in this post, given his arbitration-eligibility as well. However, we are all aware of the outcome of his non-tender and will move along accordingly.

So loyal readers and newcomers alike, do you think the Jays negotiate any long-term deals here? Do these guys settle or go to hearing with the Blue Jays?