Headlines

  • Rangers Option Josh Jung
  • Kevin Pillar Announces Retirement
  • Braves Place Spencer Schwellenbach On IL With Elbow Fracture
  • Braves Designate Alex Verdugo For Assignment
  • Giants Exercise 2026 Option On Manager Bob Melvin
  • Yordan Alvarez Shut Down Due To Setback With Hand Injury
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

Remove Ads
  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2025 Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

10 Relievers Lining Up Big First-Time Arbitration Salaries

By Jeff Todd | September 19, 2018 at 10:28am CDT

We’ve already done this for position players and starters, so let’s check in on the relief arms. In this context, as MLBTR arb guru Matt Swartz teaches, we’re looking for innings, ERA, and saves or (to a lesser extent) holds. Swartz also frequently cites strikeouts as a factor in analyzing comparables.

Now, to be sure, the “opener” concept and/or other contemporary baseball phenomena may one day lead to some changes in how reliever salaries are determined. For now, though, the traditional numbers still play in the arbitration process. Here are ten relievers who can anticipate nice first-time arb salaries after turning in strong 2018 showings.

  • Matt Barnes, Red Sox: Though he doesn’t own an overly dominant ERA (3.39), Barnes has made the most of his 58 1/3 frames for purposes of arbitration-worthy counting stats. He has not only recorded an impressive (and quite surprising) 92 strikeouts, but has picked up 25 holds while serving in a set-up capacity for the league’s best regular season team.
  • Carl Edwards Jr., Cubs (possible Super Two): With 1.134 years of service, Edwards is in the grey area for S2 eligibility, but well within the plausible zone to make it. He’s also one of the best candidates on this list. Despite some trouble with consistency, and an unhealthy volume of walks, Edwards has racked up 21 holds and 64 strikeouts over 49 innings of 2.39 ERA pitching.
  • Archie Bradley, Diamondbacks: Bradley hasn’t followed up on his dominating 2017 season, but he was still leaned on by the Arizona ballclub in the late innings. He has accumulated 66 2/3 frames of 3.65 ERA ball while recording a league-leading 33 holds.
  • Taylor Rogers, Twins (likely Super Two): It has been a breakout campaign for Rogers, who is through 64 1/3 innings with a nice 2.80 ERA. Though he has only picked up a pair of saves, he has 16 holds and has retired 72 opposing batters on strikes.
  • Scott Oberg, Rockies: Through 54 frames this year, Oberg carries a sparkling 2.17 ERA. All that despite pitching much of the time at Coors Field. With solid tallies of 13 holds and 50 strikeouts also bolstering his case, it has been a strong year all things considered.
  • Chaz Roe, Rays: True, his 3.54 ERA in 48 1/3 innings doesn’t jump off the page. But Roe has picked up 27 holds, the seventh highest tally in baseball this year.
  • Ryan Tepera, Blue Jays: He’s now up to seven saves and 16 holds, so Tepera has some useful numbers to dangle before a panel if his case makes it to a hearing. Otherwise, he carries a pedestrian 3.84 ERA in 61 innings.
  • Mychal Givens, Orioles: True, he’s only carrying a 4.39 ERA. But Givens is likely to exceed seventy innings and has also accumulated 7 saves and 15 holds, so he’ll still be paid.
  • Heath Hembree, Red Sox: With a 4.15 ERA in 56 1/3 innings, Hembree doesn’t seem like much of a candidate. But he has recorded 73 strikeouts and is one of only 22 pitchers to have reached twenty holds, so he’ll likely be another beneficiary of some of the ballclub’s overall success.
  • Kyle Barraclough, Marlins: He has failed to capitalize on the opportunity to rack up a big number of saves, losing his closing job and sitting on 53 innings of 4.42 ERA ball. But the hard-throwing hurler has still reached double-digit saves (10) and picked up seven holds as well.
  • Honorable Mention: Edwin Diaz had 1.121 days of service entering the season, giving him a very outside chance at Super Two eligibility. That seems unlikely, but if he does qualify, his monster season will result in a handsome reward. Ryan Buchter of the A’s has a case with 15 holds and a 3.12 ERA, but the southpaw has only thrown 34 2/3 innings. Dodgers righty Erik Goeddell has a sub-3.00 ERA, but is also under forty frames and hasn’t worked the late innings. And though he has 11 saves, Phillies reliever Hector Neris carries an ugly 5.52 ERA in just 44 frames.
Share 0 Retweet 4 Send via email0

MLBTR Originals

Minor MLB Transactions: 9/19/18
Main
NL Notes: Pence, Tebow, Wheeler, Ryu
View Comments (13)
Post a Comment

13 Comments

  1. pinballwizard1969

    7 years ago

    @ Jeff Todd, it would have been nice if you attached some numbers to what you thought these guys make make in arbitration. Even if it was a range.

    Reply
    • NotaGM

      7 years ago

      Maybe you should put number together?

      Reply
      • pinballwizard1969

        7 years ago

        Do you often make a fool out of yourself by responding to comments that are specifically directed to someone else in this case the author of the article. Have a good day.

        Reply
        • NotaGM

          7 years ago

          Yes, I do.

          Reply
    • Jeff Todd

      7 years ago

      Our arb projections will be released just after the end of the season. They’ll be much more useful than any range I would come up with in a reasonable amount of time.

      3
      Reply
  2. bucketbrew35

    7 years ago

    Poor Taylor Rogers. He’s going to be the next Kyle Barraclough and will literally get thrown into every Twins trade proposal of the off-season by Yankees and Red Sox fans.

    1
    Reply
    • iverbure

      7 years ago

      Poor Tyler Rogers twin fans are going to be asking for the moon for this guy thinking he’s an elite RP when he’s just a guy like Barraclough who can be easily replace by some other nameless Rp in every major league farm system.

      Reply
  3. #Fantasygeekland

    7 years ago

    I hate it when teams don’t use a guy as a closer when they will be arbitration Eligible and just go with someone under contract instead

    Reply
    • iverbure

      7 years ago

      I hate when teams manage the game differently because they’re managing to the save stat. The win probability to win a game up 3 runs vs 4 runs can’t possibly be that wide.

      All the smart GMs will eventually get rid of all the old managers who manage like that and the best RP will be used in the highest leverage situation instead of the 9th.

      Reply
  4. Houston Pierce

    7 years ago

    No Jose Leclerc?

    Reply
    • Jeff Todd

      7 years ago

      He won’t be arb eligible until after the 2019 season.

      1
      Reply
    • mmurphf

      7 years ago

      Not arbitration eligible.

      1
      Reply
  5. mooshimanx

    7 years ago

    Kirby Yates?

    He was eligible last year but didn’t end up going.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.

Log in Register

    Top Stories

    Rangers Option Josh Jung

    Kevin Pillar Announces Retirement

    Braves Place Spencer Schwellenbach On IL With Elbow Fracture

    Braves Designate Alex Verdugo For Assignment

    Giants Exercise 2026 Option On Manager Bob Melvin

    Yordan Alvarez Shut Down Due To Setback With Hand Injury

    Astros Place Jeremy Peña On Injured List With Fractured Rib

    Tucker Barnhart To Retire

    Tyler Mahle To Be Sidelined Beyond Trade Deadline

    Reds Release Jeimer Candelario

    Dave Parker Passes Away

    Griffin Canning Diagnosed With Ruptured Achilles

    Pirates Reportedly Have Very Few Untouchable Players At Trade Deadline

    Griffin Canning Believed To Have Suffered Achilles Injury

    Mariners Looking For Corner Infield Bats; Ownership Willing To Bump Payroll

    Wander Franco Found Guilty Of Sexual Abuse

    Mariners Place Rowdy Tellez On Release Waivers

    Max Meyer To Undergo Season-Ending Hip Surgery

    Whit Merrifield Announces Retirement

    White Sox Sign Noah Syndergaard To Minor League Deal

    Recent

    MLB Mailbag: Braves, Cubs, Sasaki, Angels, Volpe

    MLBTR Podcast: Depleted Mets’ Pitching, The Pirates Are Open For Business, And More!

    Trade Deadline Outlook: Washington Nationals

    Mets To Select Rico Garcia

    D-Backs, Seth Brown Agree To Deal

    D-Backs GM Mike Hazen Discusses Deadline Possibilities

    Orioles Sign Jose Barrero To Minor League Deal

    Zach Pop Elects Free Agency

    MLB Announces 2025 All-Star Starting Hitters

    Diamondbacks Designate Kyle Nelson For Assignment

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Sandy Alcantara Rumors
    • Luis Robert Rumors
    • Alex Bregman Rumors

     

    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android App Store Google Play

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Remove Ads, Support Our Writers
    • Front Office Originals
    • Front Office Fantasy Baseball
    • MLBTR Podcast
    • Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • RSS/Twitter Feeds By Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    hide arrows scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version