<p>The Toronto Blue Jays are reaching unprecedented heights in terms of spending this off-season.</p>
<p>Even before the recent additions of right-hander Chris Bassitt and left-hander Kevin Kiermaier, Toronto&#8217;s Collective Balance Tax payroll &#8211; which totals each player&#8217;s average annual salary &#8211; was projected to surpass $200 million for the first time in franchise history. And that figure will continue to rise once their deals are made official.</p>
<p>Without making any other acquisitions,<a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/roster-resource/payroll/blue-jays" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> FanGraphs&#8217; Roster Resource</a> has the Blue Jays&#8217; CBT payroll at roughly $234.3 million, exceeding the first luxury tax threshold of $233 million. That also would be a first for the organization, placing them among the top five projected payrolls in the majors.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">A $9-million salary for Kiermaier would push the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlueJays</a> over the competitive balance tax threshold, per FanGraph&#39;s Roster Resource. They have the Jays at approximate $234.3 million, CBT starts at $233.</p>
<p>&mdash; Gregor Chisholm (@GregorChisholm) <a href="https://twitter.com/GregorChisholm/status/1603116418953879553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>The only teams ranked higher than Toronto are the New York Mets (because, of course) at $350 million, New York Yankees at $266 million, San Diego Padres at $255 million and Philadelphia Phillies at $242 million.</p>
<p>By spending into the luxury tax, the Blue Jays face a 20 per cent penalty on their overages. But since that amount stands at approximately $1.3 million, they&#8217;re currently facing an additional charge of just $260,000.</p>
<p>There are ways for the team to descend below the luxury tax &#8211; like trading Danny Jansen, perhaps, saving a projected $3.7 million. Alternatively, they could trade Trevor Richards &#8211; saving $1.5 million &#8211; or Santiago Espinal &#8211; saving $2.1 million.</p>
<p>The Blue Jays aren&#8217;t finished upgrading their roster, with additional moves likely on the horizon. So while it&#8217;s surprising to see this team spending at such a historic level, that&#8217;s a reality Rogers Communications &#8211; the franchise&#8217;s owner &#8211; is willing to accept.</p>
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The Toronto Blue Jays are reaching unprecedented heights in terms of spending this off-season.

Even before the recent additions of right-hander Chris Bassitt and left-hander Kevin Kiermaier, Toronto's Collective Balance Tax payroll - which totals each player's average annual salary - was projected to surpass $200 million for the first time in franchise history. And that figure will continue to rise once their deals are made official.

Without making any other acquisitions,<a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/roster-resource/payroll/blue-jays" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> FanGraphs' Roster Resource</a> has the Blue Jays' CBT payroll at roughly $234.3 million, exceeding the first luxury tax threshold of $233 million. That also would be a first for the organization, placing them among the top five projected payrolls in the majors.

https://twitter.com/GregorChisholm/status/1603116418953879553

The only teams ranked higher than Toronto are the New York Mets (because, of course) at $350 million, New York Yankees at $266 million, San Diego Padres at $255 million and Philadelphia Phillies at $242 million.

By spending into the luxury tax, the Blue Jays face a 20 per cent penalty on their overages. But since that amount stands at approximately $1.3 million, they're currently facing an additional charge of just $260,000.

There are ways for the team to descend below the luxury tax - like trading Danny Jansen, perhaps, saving a projected $3.7 million. Alternatively, they could trade Trevor Richards - saving $1.5 million - or Santiago Espinal - saving $2.1 million.

The Blue Jays aren't finished upgrading their roster, with additional moves likely on the horizon. So while it's surprising to see this team spending at such a historic level, that's a reality Rogers Communications - the franchise's owner - is willing to accept.

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