6:48pm: The deal does indeed come in under the projection, as Rogers will receive a $750K guarantee and will play at the rate of $1.48MM if he makes the club out of camp, per a tweet from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Of course, that result certainly seems preferable to a non-tender.
6:12pm: The Yankees have avoided arbitration with righty Esmil Rogers, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports on Twitter. The move comes as something of a surprise, as Rogers had seemed a reasonably likely non-tender candidate.
Rogers, 29, was claimed off waivers by the Yankees from the Blue Jays last summer. He tossed 25 innings of 4.68 ERA ball in New York, after struggling with Toronto earlier in the year. He does offer some added value given his swingman potential.
MLBTR and contributor Matt Swartz projected a $1.9MM payday for Rogers, though his early signing could indicate a lower price point. At this point, Rogers is best known for being the short end of the deal that sent Yan Gomes and Mike Aviles from the Jays to the Indians.
