TORONTO -- With Spring Training report dates just over a month away, the next step for the Blue Jays and clubs across Major League Baseball is to exchange arbitration numbers with eligible players before Friday’s 1 p.m. ET deadline.

Ken Giles tops the list of Blue Jays eligible for arbitration, which also included right-hander Matt Shoemaker and infielder Brandon Drury.

• Salary arbitration, explained

Once the two sides exchange their arbitration numbers, they have the option to settle on a figure -- which is common -- or wait for a hearing in February, at which time a panel of arbitrators hears arguments from both sides and selects the salary put forth by either the player or the club (but not one in between).

Drury settled with the Blue Jays on Thursday for $2.05 million, avoiding arbitration, a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.

Drury is expected to compete for the utility infielder job. Toronto is hoping he improves on his 2019 performance, when he hit just .218 with a .642 OPS. With the Blue Jays’ young pieces across the infield, Drury is expected to battle Santiago Espinal, Breyvic Valera and the likelihood of a veteran signing this spring for that utility role on manager Charlie Montoyo’s roster.

Last offseason, Toronto reached agreements with its eight arbitration-eligible players. Reliever Ryan Tepera was the lone player who went to arbitration. The Blue Jays eventually won that arbitration case, and Tepera earned a $1.525 million salary for the 2019 season.

Giles is expected to get the biggest raise of this year's group, with Cot’s Baseball Contracts projecting an $8.5 million 2020 salary for the 29-year-old in his final year of eligibility. The Blue Jays’ closer thrived with an adjusted mental approach in 2019, posting a 1.87 ERA and 83 strikeouts over 53 frames. On a young team with a revolving door on the mound, the value of Giles’ innings last season cannot be understated.

Right elbow inflammation landed Giles on the 10-day injured list at one point in 2019, and the Blue Jays were hesitant to use him in back-to-back games. But his average fastball velocity sat at 96.9 mph, and he showed no signs of regressing. As one of the game’s top closers, Giles will be an attractive name over the next 12 months, whether that be at the July 31 Trade Deadline or the opening of free agency next offseason.

Giles is familiar with this process, too. Between the 2017 and ‘18 seasons, he and the Astros went to arbitration after filing at $4.6 million and $4.2 million, respectively. Giles won his case.

Shoemaker is projected at $3.75 million after a torn left ACL wiped out nearly all of his 2019 season. He’s expected to enter spring without any restrictions, though, and he pitched to a 1.57 ERA over five starts before that injury hit. Both sides have seemed open to discussing a deal that could stretch beyond just '20, which is worth monitoring, and the Blue Jays expect Shoemaker to be a steady arm in the back half of their rotation this season.