Blue Jays infielder earns some extra holiday shopping money thanks to MLB's pre-arb bonus system

As a part of MLB's most recent collective bargaining agreement, a total of $50 million is put into a pool and divided amongst the game's best players who don't have enough service time to reach arbitration yet. This was put into place to properly reward/compensate baseball's best and youngest stars, and players are even eligible if they've already signed an early-career contract extension.

That's exactly how Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. took home roughly $3.08 million from the pre-arb bonus pool this year even after signing a gigantic extension to remain on the Royals for the foreseeable future. His second-place finish in the AL MVP voting earned him a $1.75 million bonus from the pool as well thanks to some of the fine-print details in that CBA agreement.

Beyond Witt, the only other players to earn over $1 million bonus money are William Contreras, Luis Gil, Jackson Merrill, Cole Ragans and Jarren Duran. The remaining list of players are paid based off of a predetermined WAR formula.

A complete rundown of the players earning some extra dough this winter is available thanks to the Associated Press, and it won't take long for Toronto Blue Jays fans to spot one of their own on the list of baseball's most promising but inexperienced players.

Ernie Clement earns a nice Christmas bonus thanks to MLB's CBA

The lone Blue Jays representative on the list is 28-year-old Ernie Clement, whose late start to his big league career has earned him a $245,805 bonus, which is a nice little bit of extra spending money around Christmas. Clement is eligible for arbitration this offseason for the first time in his career, so he's sure to earn a few more handsome raises over the next three years before he reaches free agency.

This past season, Clement was a true jack-of-all-trades for the Blue Jays and rapidly became a fan favorite because of it. From hitting 12 home runs to becoming an integral member of the Gate 14 Podcast's world to playing well above-average defense all around the infield, it's hard not to like Clement and what he brings to the Blue Jays - both on and off the field.

Clement has a skill set not frequently seen in today's game, in that he has a ton of speed and some intriguing power potential but he never strikes out and rarely walks too. He's got a strong sense of patience and pitch-recognition at the plate and seems to be a candidate for an offensive surge in 2025.

It remains to be seen just how the Blue Jays will use him come Opening Day, but there's no doubt that he's earned a spot on the roster. His defensive prowess will get him a roster spot at the very least, but he could also be the club's starter at third base if the organization fails to bring in a more established option at the position.