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What message are Blue Jays sending to Ernie Clement after late-season struggles?

“He’s got to earn every bit of that. It’s not just write down (his name on the roster and say) ’OK, we’re covered."

Published Oct 01, 2026  •  Last updated 17 hours ago  •  4 minute read

Ernie Clement of the Toronto Blue Jays reaches first on a fielders choice against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium earlier this season. Getty Images

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Even after the crushing end to the season, in his heart, Ernie Clement — the first-time all-star, every-day second baseman and Blue Jays fan favourite — felt that another year of October baseball was part of the plan.

Instead, following Sunday’s season finale against the Cincinnati Reds, he was wheeling a suitcase and his golf clubs through the home clubhouse at the Rogers Centre for an early evening drive back home to Rochester.

It was a thud of an ending to the season for all of the Jays but, beyond Vladimir Guerrero Jr.,  perhaps none were feeling it more than Clement.

“I feel like we should still be playing,” said Clement, who was beat up — physically and mentally — from a rough couple of months that typified the Jays crash and burn down the stretch that plummeted the American League champs to the basement of their division.

That performance led to questions about Clement’s future with the team, both contract and playing-time wise, as an off-season of upheaval officially begins. All of this made comments general manager Ross Atkins made regarding Clement at the season-ending press conference among the most intriguing (and revealing?) to be made by team brass.

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When asked during an off-podium session with beat writers on Wednesday whether Clement would be the team’s every-day second baseman next season, Atkins effectively seemed to remove all guarantees from the table.

“He’s got to earn every bit of that,” Atkins. “It’s not just write down (his name on the roster and say) ’OK, we’re covered.’

“But he has always, when he’s been given an opportunity, he’s run with it. Ernie can be an every day, impactful player. He can also be a player who takes 500 (at bats) and plays at a really high level. And because we’re such a good team, he isn’t the guy that’s being pencilled in every day.”

Like any GM, Atkins isn’t going to reveal his off-season strategy in detail three days after the season ends. But the fact that he hinted strong enough that the team will explore other options at second is at the least, revealing.

In the case of Clement, the numbers are stark, though he’s not alone in that regard. Organizationally, there seems to be a group hug in process for the rebuild of Guerrero Jr. and I suppose that makes sense when you’re paying a guy hundreds of millions over the next 13 years. Other players won’t necessarily be afforded that affection, however.

Clement earned a base salary of $4.6 million US in 2026, a nice haul for a valuable player off the bench and more than double what he made the previous season.

Early in 2026, the 30-year-old picked up where he left off the previous season, earning the first all-star nod in his career. Than came August and September, when he was near the top of the list of a number of Jays players to run out of gas.

Perhaps worn down by the busiest — and lengthiest — season of his career, which was followed by a trip to the World Baseball Classic, Clement scuffled. He hit .208 in the final two months of the season.

“He’s such a good player,” Atkins said during the press conference portion of Wednesday’s proceedings. “Every time he comes to the plate, I feel like he’s going to do something special and I think so does he.

“That has been part of the challenge with him as an offensive player. His aggressiveness and that early contact became very dependent on line drives hitting gaps.”

With another year of arbitration, Clement is projected to earn within the $7-million US range next season, a sum that could prompt the club to further consider his value.

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The uncertainty of Clement’s fit has immediately fired up the rumour mill and zoomed in on Brandon Lowe, a pending free agent and two-time all-star who launched 35 home runs with the Pirates this season.

It’s also possible that the Jays could non-tender Clement and negotiate a new deal. Perhaps he’s back as a bench/platoon player that manager John Schneider can utilize in many ways, a role Clement has thrived on previously in his career.

Zooming out, the fact that Atkins is waffling on Clement’s immediate future is a hint at the type of off-season awaits for his last, to first and back down to last team.

Guerrero may be the most high-profile project for the Jays off-season, but what the team does with Clement is one of the most intriguing.

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