11:24pm: Gattis’ surgery took place earlier today, tweets MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart.
9:08pm: Astros designated hitter Evan Gattis recently underwent surgery to repair a hernia and will be sidelined for four to six weeks, reports Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle. As a result, Gattis will miss “most of his Spring Training, at a minimum,” per Drellich, though the overall injury is not considered to be severe in nature.
Gattis, 29, has an arbitration hearing set for Feb. 16, and Drellich notes that the new revelation in his health could have some form of an impact on the case. Of course, his current injury status doesn’t change the power production that Gattis delivered in his first year with Houston, when he batted .246/.285/.463 with 27 homers and 88 RBIs in 604 plate appearances. He submitted a $3.8MM salary figure for the upcoming season, while the team countered at $3MM. As a file-and-trial team, the Astros have a policy of not negotiating one-year deals once salary figures are exchanged, so an arbitration panel will decide which of the two figures Gattis should earn in a week’s time.
It’s worth bearing in mind that the exact date of his surgery isn’t known. And, even if Gattis missed six full weeks beginning today, he’d still have about 10 Spring Training contests to get up to speed. Any type of setback in his recovery, though, would seem to raise the possibility that he’d begin the season on the shelf. That’s a worst-case scenario for Gattis with regard to this injury, of course, and there’s certainly the chance that he could recover in time for the team’s April 4 opener at Yankee Stadium.
Even in the event that Gattis needs to miss a portion of the regular season, the injury doesn’t seem to increase the likelihood of Houston making any sort of notable acquisition. Either Colby Rasmus or Preston Tucker, for instance, could pick up some extra DH time, with Jake Marisnick temporarily taking on a greater role in the outfield and providing the club with a defensive boost.
I sure hope this hasn’t been a lingering issue that could have been taken care of at an earlier time.?
I hope so as well. Loved Gattis as a Brave and was happy to see him get more PT by parting. How for quick recovery.
He would have gotten more playing time without all of the injuries and terrible defense. If any team gives him more playing team, it should be more ABs – and that’s it.
He has done nothing to deserve any more at bats.
“Gattis, 29, has an arbitration hearing set for Feb. 16, and Drellich notes that the new revelation in his health could have some form of an impact on the case.”
Can this be explained further? Like how do injuries at the time of the hearing tend to effect the hearing outcome?
Everyone knows the arbitration hearings always favor players with big power numbers; therefore, I would look for Gattis’ 2016 salary to come in closer to the 3.8 mil. figure his camp has asked from the Astros. My guess would ultimately be a decision around the 3.6 mil. mark.
As far as his injury is concerned, I’m not exactly sure how that will play into the arbitration hearing. This is especially the case, because his injury is not supposed to have Gattis miss any regular season games. With that being said, I’m curious as to how exactly Adams thinks this injury would effect the outcome of his hearing??
@Steve Adams –
…….Please explain this further, if you don’t mind
Gattis will either get $3m or $3.8m. There’s no negotiating in arbitration.
That’s definitely news to me…
Sincerely, thank you!!
I feel stupid for not knowing that. For some reason, I always thought the player would submit his asking price then the team would submit theirs, and after that I thought the arbiter wpuld choose some middle ground in between the two.
For example, I thought, in Gattis’ case, the arbiter would have the opportunity to select an amount anywhere from 3.0-3.8 million.
I truly never knew the arbiter had to choose either the player’s or the team’s proposal. You would think they would have the authority to be able to pick a price in between somewhere.
I always would hear about one side winning or the other side winning, but I figured that just meant that the agreed upon amount was closer to the winning side…
This is completely blowing my mind right about now!! /: haha …
Anyways, thanks again for correcting my ignorance!! It is truly greatly appreciated, and I do not mean that sarcastically whatsoever…I really do appreciate you passing on your knowledge and the correct information!!
Yeah, usually the sides will settle, usually on a midpoint or a multi-year deal before going to arbitration. But once in arbitration, the only two options are the team’s offer or the player’s ask. Teams and players dislike arbitration.
It doesn’t always happen like that
The amount awarded is one or the other. Nothing in between. That’s why you hear that a player either wins or loses at his hearing. The player’s agent argues that the value of the client is $0.01 over the midpoint and the team argues that the player is worth $0.01 under the midpoint.
Your right there is no negotiating. But Arb can put 3.5m or 3.4. it’s up to Arb to decided how much he’ll make.
Look at a team like the Orioles that rarely goes to hearings. The reason why is because they are undefeated meaning the arbitrator Robert Smouse has sided with the team figures 100% of the time so players know if they want to negotiate they better do it before the hearing. This season for example not one player chose to go to arbitration.
No, the arbiter awards one amount or the other.
They don’t he don’t know what he talking bout unless it change he get bout 3.4-3.7m. They rarely ever give the person the low or the high only
He is correct, just did not phrase it correctly.
An arbitrator will rule in favor of one side or another.
That does not mean the two parties cannot settle during arbitration.
Once the case goes to a hearing, an arbiter awards one of the two numbers. That’s the whole point of the hearing. Both sides have ample opportunity to settle before the hearing, but the threat of a hearing is what motivates both sides to settle before the hearing. So no, the arbiter doesn’t pick a number in between the two submitted numbers.
Wrong it doesn’t always go like that.
Yes it does… Give me an example of when someone went to the hearing and the Arbitrator gave a number in the middle. It is this or that and nothing in between. The in between is why they settle before the court hearing. Just like when you sue someone… you either settle out of court or it is all or nothing. There may be a time or two the teams settle right before sitting down with the arbitrator but it is never the arbitrator who makes a settlement. He decides between two numbers. Period.
In the mlb rules, each side submits a proposal and the arbitrator has to choose between the 2 submitted figures based on other similar players salary. The team and the players camp each try to draw comparisons to other players to prove their case. Any middle ground figures are because a team settled on a contract before arbitration.
path for AJ Reed to break camp is getting clearer… hopefully we dont see Gattis get any at bats vs right handers this season.