As a standard course of business every spring, teams reach agreement on contracts with their pre-arbitration players. Since pre-arb players have virtually no negotiating leverage, their salaries aren’t far beyond the MLB minimum ($570.5K), and most teams now adopt a particular formula for assigning modest raises to pre-arbitration players who have performed above and beyond expectations.
When a player doesn’t accept this agreement, it has no change on his contractual status with the team. It just means that his contract is “renewed,” and the team will impose the player’s salary for the coming season. For a further explanation of the renewal process, MLBTR’s Jeff Todd provided an outline in a YouTube video last year.
Why would a player not accept the terms of his team’s raise? Often, it is just a matter of “principle,” as Cardinals righty Jack Flaherty (who had his last two pre-arbitration salaries renewed) said last year, as a player who excels during a season simply feels he is worth more than the minor raise a team is offering. Occasionally, you’ll see a player look for a more substantive raise, as Mike Trout’s camp asked for a $1MM salary for the 2013 season, following a 2012 campaign that saw Trout finish second in AL MVP voting in his first full year in the big leagues.
While Trout didn’t get his $1MM ask, some clubs have indeed rewarded players with pre-arb salaries worth well above (by a few hundred thousand dollars, in some cases) the minimum, both as a nod to performance and perhaps as a way to continue good relations with a player and his agent in advance of extension talks.
Here is a list of players whose contracts have been renewed for the 2021 season. As you’ll note, the members of this group have already enjoyed significant early-career success.
- Zac Gallen: The Diamondbacks right-hander finished ninth in NL Cy Young Award voting in 2020, and has a 2.78 ERA over 152 career MLB innings.
- Kyle Lewis: The Mariners outfielder took a renewal on the heels of his Rookie Of The Year campaign.
- Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil: The two Mets regulars took renewals. As noted by Mike Puma of the New York Post, Alonso’s 2019 NL Rookie Of The Year campaign got him a larger-than-expected salary bump to $652,521 for the 2020 season “as a goodwill gesture” from the team.
- Ian Anderson: The Braves righty made a big impact in his first MLB season, with a 1.95 ERA over 32 1/3 innings. Anderson also has the least amount of big league service time (0.094 days) of any player on this list. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweets that Anderson will earn $575K while in the majors and $142,978 in the minor leagues.
Unpopular opinion – Zac Gallen is the most underrated SP in baseball
You’re right, that is unpopular.
Roasted.
I’ll throw Kyle Hendricks’s name into the ring
Well he’s not very underrated. He’s good, and I’m a Giants fan
i dunno, he won an ERA title.
Good roast.
But is he right though?
Maybe Brandon Woodruff.
Gallen would definitely be on that list. As would Hendricks, but I might be biased because Hendricks throws an 82 pitch complete-game shut-out every time he faces the Cardinals.
I don’t see how that is unpopular…
Can’t disagree here. He’s real good and not often talked about.
It’s cuz the diamondbacks would find ways to bone him outta wins but the kid is legit nasty
Ok true lol
Gallen has only thrown 152 big-league innings and made just 27 starts. He shows promise but it’s a bit early to call him underrated. People are dismissing the Chicago Cubs’ 2021 chances because of their rotation even though they have Hendricks and Davies. To me, those two guys are underrated.
didnt allow more then two earned runs in any of his first 23 starts, which is a record. I dont know how much better it gets at that number of games pitched.
I don’t know if hes underrated so much as he’s unknown. Casual fans don’t know who he is and while I’m guessing that those of us who frequent this site know him, perhaps even some of “us” aren’t THAT familiar with his stats.
i mean, not even knowing who he is when he got more Cy Young votes then Kershaw last year kinda helps the argument of him being underrated, no?
Kershaw is a future hall of famer with three Cy Young Awards. Of course he is more well-known than Gallen. Most young players could be counted as “underrated” simply because the majority of baseball fans haven’t heard of them yet. Gallen will get attention soon.
Any pitcher who is considered “the most underrated” can’t be the most underrated because you thought of them to top the list. The most truly underrated pitcher will be the one who doesn’t even cross your mind as you will be underrating them. Thus to try to state who is the most underrated is a futile exercise as you, by definition, will always be wrong.
You spelled his name wrong, but I agree. it’s Ian Anderson, not Zac Gallen.
I’m not serious btw that was the biased braves fan coming out in me. I’d say both are very good but Anderson doesn’t have nearly enough time to be considered underrated or really anything else either. Gallen is more proven and unfortunately Arizona doesn’t get the exposure other teams get so he flies under the radar for sure.
Agreed or you could go with the 4th best pticher on baseball by Era Kyle Hendricks
Ian Anderson is well known. Gallen had been elite for a larger sample size. Marlins made a bad move. They would have a super rotation in 2023 if they kept him.
The jury is out on that trade. In MLB, Gallen has pitched only 152 innings. He is not any kind of a star yet.
The Galen for Chisolm deal was weird from the get-go, and seems to be moreso as time passes. And Chisolm definitely isn’t bad, by any account. But Galen’s potentially a TOR guy.
Trade him to the Blue Jays?
I said at the time that I liked MIA swapping from an area of strength, but that Gallen was the one guy I wouldn’t have dealt.
Of the Marlins arms, Gallen was probably among the most moveable imo
If you ranked their pitchers Gallen would be #2 only behind Sixto. I’d have traded Alcantara or Pablo before Gallen.
honestly the move would have been to sell high on Smith, probably get Chisholm plus, then swap part of your return with Mejia for Marte and end up with Marte, Chisholm, AND Gallen. (plus potentially more)
In four hours, Gallen has gone from “underrated” to overrated. Why are people so anxious to anoint him as an ace? If he were on the Dodgers, he would be a swingman between the rotation and bullpen.
Overrated man check every game the guy started. He don’t pitch many clunkers gallen is not overrated. I know it’s early but to say he would just be a reliever on the Dodgers is straight ignorant. He mostly always gave the diamondbacks a chance to win their games
Gallen would be at least the #3 in Dodger blue. Pitchers park plus avoiding LA’s lineup while facing Zona instead would help his cause. Gallen has some big time potential.
Wish I could refuse a raise out of principle.
No, it’s going to raise no matter what your principles are.
Baseball players are getting straight robbed by the owners. Pete Alonso is gonna make $650,000 and got a raise. Lol. Pete Alonso is 26 years old. There are rookies in the NBA who are not even officially on the 15-man roster, who will make close to $900,000 playing on a 2-way contract with the G-League. Kevin Knox of the New York Knicks was their 1st round pick a couple of years back at 18 years old and signed a 4-year, $18 million contract. Baseball players just get straight robbed. Knox will be out the league by the time he is 26. Alonso will still need to remain healthy and productive if he is to get truly paid.
I wouldn’t complain if I was a first round baseball pick they get pretty good money too
@Tavo – 1st Round picks get screwed too!!! Casey Mize was the #1 overall pick in the 2018 MLB draft. He got like a $9 million signing bonus. That is all he gets plus the peanuts you make in the minors. DeAndre Ayton went #1 in the 2018 NBA draft. His salary for 1st year was $9 million. Through this season Ayton will be paid a total of $40 million while Casey Mize still has nothing but his original $9 million. Ayton will be signing a contract extension this spring worth more than $150 million for 5 years. He will be on the cusp of signing his 3rd NBA contract when Mize finally hits free agency to hopefully “break the bank” if he has been healthy and productive. Meanwhile, Anfernee Simons, the #24 overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft, has made more money to date than Casey Mize, the MLB #1 overall pick.
Baseball players often make more than any player in any other sport. The contacts just reward them on the back end instead of up front.
@bucketbrew – Why would you want to get rewarded on the back end? Everybody else is getting paid on the front end!! The point is clear …. Baseball players are getting screwed!!! Kris Bryant has a Rookie of the Year and an MVP that were won years ago ….. now he is finally a free agent ….. he ain’t breaking no bank!!! Tatis got paid on the front end ….. you think Kris Bryant wishes he had taken a Tatis deal now?
How can you be wrong so much? There is not one thing you’ve ever posted which I can agree with you about.
I don’t even know who Yankee is talking about but I disagree on principle.
@YankeesBleacher – Wrong????? Wrong???? You do realize that NBA players get 50% of all basketball related revenue. The HUGE TV deals for the NBA ….. the players are getting half of that money! There are only like 450 players in the NBA. 450 players are getting HALF of all the money coming in!!! That is the deal they have with the owners. Maximum contracts in the NBA now cover a % of the salary cap. This is why dudes like James Harden make $40+ million per year. Giannis is gonna max out at like $50 million per year. They ain’t even negotiating ….. If you are a superstar ….. you will get a maximum contract. Baseball players are getting screwed because they have allowed the owners to screw them by signing bad labor deals. NBA players are RETIRING with $100+ million in the bank before baseball players even get to free agency!! In the next 3 years EVERY NBA team will have a maximum contract player. Every One of them
This is what you wrote:
“Alonso will still need to remain healthy and productive if he is to get truly paid.”
What is wrong with Alonso needing to remain healthy and productive in order to make megabucks? Isn’t that how it should be? Is Chris Davis getting robbed?
@Cey Hey Pete Alonso will have to stay healthy and productive in order to make megabucks? I am once again only stating the FACTS!!! Kris Bryant did not stay healthy and productive ….. do you think he is happy about his position right now???? It was a statement of FACT!!
Players could choose another profession if the money isn’t good enough.
Oh wait, they’d still have better earning potential in baseball.
Stop complaining.
I wish I were so screwed as to only make a pitiful $650K per year.
You guys are on here trying to defend a position that baseball players are compensated in a fair manor by the owners in regards to the revenue coming in??? MLB players will tell you themselves they are getting screwed. Players are RETIRING in every other sport before baseball player even get the opportunity to hit free agency. NBA locker rooms are full of kids. “Veteran” players are now 23 and 24 years old with 5 and 6 years experience in the league. They are splitting HALF of ALL the money coming in ….. half the money goes to approximately 450 NBA players and the other half goes to 32 owners. That is the NBA players deal. There are no half the league playing all minimum contract players. The money HAS to go to the players, so they get paid!!
Average length of a career is higher in baseball than both football and basketball. NBA has roughly 15 players to pay. MLB has 40.
If you have a problem with the way owners treat players, suggest to player to form their own competing league. That’ll show those owners. Players can manage, be GM, hire a scouting department, maintain the field etc.
You can say who you want is getting robbed but both leagues have positives and negatives. Yes young baseball players don’t make as much but once they do, they are guaranteed contracts. The NBA has way less players so they can make more. Look at a guy like Inciarte. He will make over 16 million bn this and last year and play a handful of games. For every guy in MLB who is getting robbed there is a guy who is making well more than his production. But let’s face it; there isn’t one of us on here making comments that wouldn’t change places with these players to make millions playing ball. I’m all for these guys making all they can but at the end of the day they are making a great living doing what they love.
Baseball has so many guys who ultimately DON’T get paid …… you forget they even existed! You can even look at the Cubs …. Kris Bryant, Javy Baez, Wilson Contreras …. they got their World Series rings years ago ….. ALL have been trying to get the Cubs to pay them ……. ALL have been denied …….. Now they are ALL going to hit free agency with far less earning potential than they had in their younger years. The game of baseball, like all sports is getting younger ….. yet baseball is still making their guys wait 6 years AFTER playing years in the minors for no money.
I think those guys are getting paid. This year they will make almost 19 million, 12 million and 7 million respectively. Not a bad 2021.
As it stands right now …… None of those guys will have that same AAV available via free agency. Bryant and Baez could both be looking at 1-year deals. Not 7-10 year deals with 25-30+ million AAV.
I do agree many players aren’t making what they should but baseball having guaranteed contracts it is hard to quickly give out big deals. How many times have you seen guys have 1or 2 large years then fall off the map? You give them big guaranteed contracts and you will struggle. I think MLB should definitely start those clocks earlier though.
Anderson is gonna be big time! GO BRAVES!