With the non-tender deadline on the horizon tomorrow, expect quite a few players to agree to contracts for the 2021 season, avoiding arbitration in advance. In many (but not all) cases, these deals — referred to as “pre-tender” deals because they fall prior to the deadline — will fall shy of expectations and projections. Teams will sometimes present borderline non-tender candidates with a “take it or leave it” style offer which will be accepted for fear of being non-tendered and sent out into an uncertain market. Speculatively, such deals could increase in 2020 due to the economic uncertainty sweeping through the game, although there are also widespread expectations of record non-tender numbers.
You can track all of the arbitration and non-tender activity here, and we’ll also run through today’s smaller-scale pre-tender deals in this post. You can also check out Matt Swartz’s arbitration salary projections here.
Latest Agreements
- Athletics second baseman Tony Kemp will get $1.05MM over one year, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle relays.
- The Rockies announced that they have re-signed righty Jairo Diaz to a one-year pact. It’s worth $1.1MM, Feinsand tweets.
- The Phillies and righty reliever Seranthony Dominguez have a one-year, $727,500 deal, according to Feinsand. Dominguez underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of June, so he might not pitch at all in 2021.
- The Athletics and utility player Chad Pinder reached a one-year, $2.275MM deal, per Nightengale. Pinder has two seasons of team control left.
- The Orioles and catcher Pedro Severino agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.825MM, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports (Twitter link). There was some speculation that Severino could be a non-tender candidate, though he has posted pretty decent numbers over two seasons as Baltimore’s primary catcher. Severino is controllable through the 2023 season.
- The Nationals and right-hander Joe Ross agreed to a one-year, $1.5MM contract, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets. This is a match of the salary Ross and the Nats had agreed on for the 2020 season, but Ross decided to opt out back in June. This was Ross’ third year of arbitration eligibility, and is now expected to return and compete for a job in Washington’s rotation in 2021.
- The Royals agreed to one-year deals with righties Jesse Hahn and Jakob Junis and outfielder Franchy Cordero, according to Feinsand and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (Twitter links). Hahn signed for $1.75MM in guaranteed money with another $350K available in incentives. Junis will rake in $1.7MM. Cordero will earn $800K in his first arbitration-eligible year.
Earlier Agreements
- The Athletics and righty Burch Smith agreed to a one-year deal worth $705K, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets. The 30-year-old Smith allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk with 13 strikeouts in 12 2/3 frames with the A’s in 2020. That was a solid showing for Smith to carry into his first trip through the arb process, though he carried a career 6.57 ERA in 135 1/3 frames into the 2020 season. The A’s can control Smith through 2023.
- The Rockies agreed to a one-year, $1.2MM deal with catcher Elias Diaz, per Nightengale (Twitter link). The contract contains another $300K in available incentives. The 30-year-old looked like a clear non-tender candidate after posting an ugly .235/.288/.353 slash with lackluster framing marks and just a 1-for-8 effort in throwing out base thieves, but the Rockies must remain hopeful he can return to his 2018 level of performance. Diaz is controllable through the 2022 season via arbitration.
- Right-hander Jacob Barnes and the Mets agreed to a one-year deal worth $750K, Nightengale tweets. Barnes, claimed off waivers back in October, was a quality reliever in Milwaukee from 2016-18 but has seen his results crater over the past two seasons. From 2019-20, he’s posted a 6.75 ERA over 50 2/3 innings. Barnes has averaged 10 strikeouts per nine frames in that time but also averaged 4.6 walks and 1.42 homers as well. Barnes is controllable through 2022.
Steve: Can these players who accept these types of deals still be cut loose with 30 days pay next Spring?
No they cannot be let go with 30 days pay. They are agreeing to a guaranteed contract by avoiding arbitration so those salaries/contracts are locked in for 2021.
Players who are on arbitration (unless specified at the time of the agreement), Minor League or split contracts are not fully guaranteed their salaries.
Players on arbitration contracts who are cut on or before the 16th day of Spring Training are owed 30 days’ termination pay (based on the prorated version of his agreed-upon arbitration salary). A player cut between the 16th day and the end of Spring Training is owed 45 days’ termination pay (based on the prorated version of his agreed-upon arbitration salary). The arbitration salary becomes guaranteed if the player is on the 25-man roster when the season begins.
These players aren’t on arbitration contracts though. They signed one-year deals to avoid arbitration.
Thank you for clarifying that. I thought one year deals for players who have yet to reach free agency typically are not guaranteed even if they avoid arbitration. Like if released in 16 days they get 1/6 their salary. Maybe most don’t have such clauses anymore and I’m behind the times.
I could be wrong, but my understanding was that the partial guarantee was just for players who’s service time makes them arb eligible, regardless of whether they avoided a hearing.
I don’t mind giving him a chance to make the team. Mets can use a new arm in the bullpen.
The Rockies are gonna Rockies.
I mean they need to rebuild and that starts by trading Arenado Story maybe Blackmon and anyone else other than young pitchers as they will probably want to keep them even if it’s to trade them later
Yeah, the Rockies are a complete mess. They’d be wise to start blowing things up.
Grade this trade: Tigers get Gleybor Torres and Devi Garcia for Daz Cameron and Spencer Turnbull.
Trash
F
You’re kidding, right?
Cameron and Turnbull won’t even land you Garcia.
This has to be a joke right? Why in the world would the Yankees EVER do that trade? Cameron and Turnbull combined wouldn’t even be close to getting just Garcia alone.
Proposal is worth a ban from the site.
I’m interested on hearing your reasoning for this deal.
One of the worst I’ve ever seen
The Rockies will suck in 2021 because they have not tried to improve for three years, Rockies will finish last in NL west and I don’t see the Rockies trading Arenado to the Dodgers. The Rockies don’t seem to want to get any better,
The Rox owe it to their fans to do what’s best for the long term prospects of their franchise, not just send Arenado to LA because that’s where he wants to go.
Teams don’t owe anything to fans. Fans have 29 other opportunities to root for another team if they are not happy with the product provided by their current team. Or fans could just stop paying money for baseball altogether. But we need to stop with the whole idea of fans being owed something. All teams have shown who they are and how they are going to attempt to build a winning team. Expecting teams to change who they are is just as foolish as women picking the “bad boy” thinking that they can change him.
Tampa fans have accepted that their team is not going to be spending a lot of money.
Marlins fans have accepted that any time the team wins, they will shortly trad everyone with a pulse.
Big market fans should pretty much stop caring about the minors because they know most of their prospects will be packaged for small market stars.
And Rockies fans have accepted that the team is more concerned with having a fun product made up of mostly homegrown players at the expense of winning.
There are many ways to skin a cat.
Why not? Thats where he’s going to end eventually.Might as well deal with a club that has good young talent
When are the Winter Meetings this year?
December 6-10th in Texas I think.
I heard they were cancelled.
You need a hearing aid. Why would they cancel it?
It’s all virtual this year. So the physical meet up was canceled, yes.
But the idea that the gms have carved time out for baseball meetings with agents+other team during those 4 days is likely still true as well
They’re apparently going to happen remotely
Every young GM to older GMs.
“turn on your mic. your mic is muted. no now you turned off your camera…. why are you calling me?”
I think Diaz is a no brainer on a low contract like that. probably unlikely to hit his upside but you could deal him if he does well or even lock him up on a cheap extention.
XD. I would have non-tendered Diaz at a lower expected cost.
i mean 1.2 million isnt really all that much, especially if they don’t expect to make a big addition. i think its money better spent then 1.75 for Michael A. Taylor.
Tender/non-tender deadline tomorrow! Stuff will actually happen!
How does a reliever with a career ERA over 6 get 700K? FROM THE CHEAP A** A’s???
Because he pitched well for them and they are the cheap ahh As
More surprised by the Barnes deal than Burch.
Hey guys could you help me understand the Arbitration process and Organizations tendering and non tendering players who are eligible??
So, one of the biggest pieces of arbitration is that the salary awarded to a player must be higher than their salary the previous year, so quite often teams elect to simply non-tender players who they view aren’t worth the contract they will be awarded. If a player is rendered a contract it simply means they are offered a deal.
These signings are the reason why it is very difficult to imagine guys like Cessa, Brasier, Cole, etc., being non-tender candidates. You won’t get a equivalent replacement for the same price they you will pay in arbitration.
I agree about Cessa. I can’t see them non tendering him for as little as he’s due to make. He’s also been pretty reliable the past 2 seasons.
I’d be very surprised at the Yankees parting with Cessa on a projected $1,1M arbitration salary when someone like Barnes just got $750K. I could see the Yankees non-tendering Holder & Heller (a law firm?), as much to simply clear two 40-man roster spots.
Where will Cashner play in 2021?
nowhere
In his back yard with his kids ?
On the next episode of Chipper Jones’ hunting show?
Hahn should close for KC
Indians can’t even afford to sign their foul line ball boys/girls for the coming season.
Various members of the current Cabinet have applied for the positions.
I liked watching him play daily. He seems liked he loves the game, held his own as a cleanup hitter many times.
But had one if the Best first at bats ever. 1 pitch, 1 swing opposite field to start his career with family in the stands. Outstanding!
Jumbo Diaz!
Phillies signed a guy who likely won’t pitch next year- meanwhile, the likes of Ray, Minor and May ( all who would have helped the Phils ) sign elsewhere .
Oh come on! Junis should’ve been non-tendered!