Free agents are often well-paid and extensions provide arbitration eligible players with security, but going year to year can be lucrative, too. Many players have already doubled or tripled their 2010 salaries through arbitration and some of the 14 unsigned arbitration eligible players are set to do the same this month, as our Arb Tracker shows.
These are the ten arbitration eligible players who will earn the most on one-year deals in 2011 (not counting players like Dan Uggla, Joey Votto and Wandy Rodriguez, who agreed to extensions):
- Prince Fielder – $15.5MM
- Jonathan Papelbon – $12MM
- Heath Bell – $7.5MM
- Matt Capps – $7.15MM
- C.J. Wilson – $7.05MM
- Ryan Ludwick – $6.78MM
- Cody Ross – $6.3MM
- Chad Billingsley – $6.28MM
- Josh Willingham – $6MM
- John Danks – $6MM
Three players (Josh Hamilton, Jose Bautista and Jered Weaver) will definitely crack the top ten if they agree to one-year deals and six others (Rickie Weeks, Hunter Pence, Luke Scott, Jeremy Guthrie, Kelly Johnson and Delmon Young) could make the list if they settle for enough money or win their case in a hearing.
