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Players Avoiding Arbitration: 12/1/20

By Steve Adams | December 1, 2020 at 7:14pm CDT

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.
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Baltimore Orioles Burch Smith Chad Pinder Colorado Rockies Elias Diaz Franchy Cordero Jacob Barnes Jakob Junis Jesse Hahn Joe Ross Kansas City Royals New York Mets Notes Oakland Athletics Pedro Severino Philadelphia Phillies Seranthony Dominguez Tony Kemp Transactions Washington Nationals

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53 comments
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Comments

  1. mike156

    2 months ago

    Steve: Can these players who accept these types of deals still be cut loose with 30 days pay next Spring?

    Like
    Reply
    • Dorothy_Mantooth

      2 months ago

      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.

      2 Like
      Reply
      • WarkMohlers

        2 months ago

        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.

        Like
        Reply
        • skyyalpha

          2 months ago

          These players aren’t on arbitration contracts though. They signed one-year deals to avoid arbitration.

          3 Like
          Reply
        • WarkMohlers

          2 months ago

          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.

          Like
          Reply
        • TLB2001

          2 months ago

          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.

          Like
          Reply
    • batter up

      2 months ago

      I don’t mind giving him a chance to make the team. Mets can use a new arm in the bullpen.

      Like
      Reply
  2. rxbrgr

    2 months ago

    The Rockies are gonna Rockies.

    2 Like
    Reply
    • a username

      2 months ago

      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

      Like
      Reply
    • HBan22

      2 months ago

      Yeah, the Rockies are a complete mess. They’d be wise to start blowing things up.

      Like
      Reply
  3. Luc 2

    2 months ago

    Grade this trade: Tigers get Gleybor Torres and Devi Garcia for Daz Cameron and Spencer Turnbull.

    Like
    Reply
    • Phillies012TG

      2 months ago

      Trash

      3 Like
      Reply
    • gclark3

      2 months ago

      F

      2 Like
      Reply
    • BPFlyers

      2 months ago

      You’re kidding, right?

      2 Like
      Reply
    • lordd99

      2 months ago

      Cameron and Turnbull won’t even land you Garcia.

      2 Like
      Reply
    • pinstripes17

      2 months ago

      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.

      Like
      Reply
    • vtadave

      2 months ago

      Proposal is worth a ban from the site.

      3 Like
      Reply
    • I Beg To Differ

      2 months ago

      I’m interested on hearing your reasoning for this deal.

      1 Like
      Reply
    • DTDATL

      2 months ago

      One of the worst I’ve ever seen

      Like
      Reply
  4. larry48

    2 months ago

    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,

    Like
    Reply
    • DrDan75

      2 months ago

      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.

      1 Like
      Reply
      • hiflew

        2 months ago

        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.

        Like
        Reply
      • HaloHonk4Life

        2 months ago

        Why not? Thats where he’s going to end eventually.Might as well deal with a club that has good young talent

        Like
        Reply
  5. cyndatu

    2 months ago

    When are the Winter Meetings this year?

    Like
    Reply
    • DrDan75

      2 months ago

      December 6-10th in Texas I think.

      Like
      Reply
      • Perksy

        2 months ago

        I heard they were cancelled.

        Like
        Reply
        • HaloHonk4Life

          2 months ago

          You need a hearing aid. Why would they cancel it?

          Like
          Reply
        • Laughing@You

          2 months ago

          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

          1 Like
          Reply
    • PapiElf

      2 months ago

      They’re apparently going to happen remotely

      1 Like
      Reply
      • I Beg To Differ

        2 months ago

        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?”

        2 Like
        Reply
  6. DarkSide830

    2 months ago

    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.

    1 Like
    Reply
    • Peart of the game

      2 months ago

      XD. I would have non-tendered Diaz at a lower expected cost.

      Like
      Reply
      • DarkSide830

        2 months ago

        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.

        Like
        Reply
  7. ChangedName

    2 months ago

    Tender/non-tender deadline tomorrow! Stuff will actually happen!

    Like
    Reply
  8. Buzz Saw

    2 months ago

    How does a reliever with a career ERA over 6 get 700K? FROM THE CHEAP A** A’s???

    1 Like
    Reply
    • jramey1

      2 months ago

      Because he pitched well for them and they are the cheap ahh As

      3 Like
      Reply
    • g4

      2 months ago

      More surprised by the Barnes deal than Burch.

      1 Like
      Reply
  9. braves4life1

    2 months ago

    Hey guys could you help me understand the Arbitration process and Organizations tendering and non tendering players who are eligible??

    Like
    Reply
    • random name generator

      2 months ago

      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.

      Like
      Reply
  10. JoeBrady

    2 months ago

    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.

    1 Like
    Reply
    • dobsonel

      2 months ago

      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.

      Like
      Reply
    • lordd99

      2 months ago

      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.

      Like
      Reply
  11. Sonny

    2 months ago

    Where will Cashner play in 2021?

    Like
    Reply
    • DarkSide830

      2 months ago

      nowhere

      Like
      Reply
    • awawra

      2 months ago

      In his back yard with his kids ?

      Like
      Reply
      • Yankee Clipper

        2 months ago

        On the next episode of Chipper Jones’ hunting show?

        Like
        Reply
  12. DarkSide830

    2 months ago

    Hahn should close for KC

    Like
    Reply
  13. Indianfan

    2 months ago

    Indians can’t even afford to sign their foul line ball boys/girls for the coming season.

    Like
    Reply
    • bobtillman

      2 months ago

      Various members of the current Cabinet have applied for the positions.

      Like
      Reply
  14. DT.J.B.

    2 months ago

    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!

    Like
    Reply
  15. jorge78

    2 months ago

    Jumbo Diaz!

    Like
    Reply
  16. Johhos

    2 months ago

    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 .

    Like
    Reply
  17. Royalsfan12

    2 months ago

    Oh come on! Junis should’ve been non-tendered!

    Like
    Reply

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