As usual, most arbitration cases remain unsettled as we approach the new year, including heavyweights such as Tim Lincecum, Cole Hamels, Hunter Pence, and Clayton Kershaw. MLBTR has created a handy database of all arbitration eligible players, which will include information on submissions from both sides, midpoints, and settlement amounts. You can also filter by team and whether a hearing occurred.
As a reminder, this year players on MLB rosters with at least two years and 146 days but less than six years of service time are arbitration eligible. Matt Swartz has projected salaries for all of these players exclusively for MLBTR, and you can find that information here. We've all added Kelly Johnson, David Ortiz, and Francisco Rodriguez to this database, as they were free agents who accepted arbitration.
Important arbitration dates to keep in mind, according to the Associated Press:
- January 13th: Deadline for players to file for arbitration. This is largely procedural.
- January 17th: Deadline for teams and players to exchange salary arbitration figures. On this date and the day prior, expect dozens of settlements. Teams can still negotiate after exchanging figures, although several teams employ a "file and trial" strategy in which they end negotiations on one-year deals once figures are exchanged to ensure a hearing occurs. These teams have included the Rays, Nationals, Marlins, White Sox, Blue Jays, Braves, and Astros.
- February 1-21: Hearings occur in St. Petersburg, Florida. In 2011, Pence, Jered Weaver, and Ross Ohlendorf had hearings. At a hearing, a each side has an hour to argue for their salary figure, and a three-person panel picks one of the salaries.
- January is always a big month for multiyear extensions. Last year we had 17.
Why are the Jays not listed as a “file and trial” team?
That’s a good one to add, I’m sure there are a few more.