Reliever Phil Bickford won his arbitration hearing against the Mets, as first reported by Joel Sherman of the New York Post (X link). His camp at ET Sports successfully argued for a $900K salary; the team had filed at $815K.
New York acquired Bickford in a minor deadline trade with the Dodgers. He threw 25 1/3 innings down the stretch, working to a 4.62 ERA. The former first-round pick fanned around a quarter of opponents against an elevated 11.4% walk rate. Those were similar strikeout and walk marks as he managed in Los Angeles. He finished the year with a 4.95 mark over a career-high 67 1/3 innings.
The 28-year-old Bickford has topped 50 innings in three consecutive seasons. After working to a 2.81 ERA for the Brewers in 2021, he has allowed nearly five earned runs per nine in each of the past two years. The Mets nevertheless tendered him a contract even as they’ve brought in various relievers this offseason. Bickford is out of options, so they’ll need to keep him in the big league bullpen or put him on waivers.
Way to go Bickford!
Silly Move by the Mets nickle and Diming guys while paying smily face Bust Lindor millions for pedestrian offense.
Then they’ll wonder why Bick won’t re sign later
I’ll never understand the Lindor hate. Even a cursory glance at his stats shows that he’s great. For the Mets, he’s put up an OPS of about 115 with consistently above average to great defensive numbers. Been worth about 5.0 WAR/season and just won a Silver Slugger. Finished in the top 10 of MVP voting each of the last 2 years…and deservedly so. Dude is legit.
“Why Bick won’t resign”..I seriously doubt the Mets are too worried about resigning Bickford. He’s pretty much a league average “disposable” reliever, although seemingly somewhat durable.
Clueless idiot
Lindor is a top ten baseball player year in and year out. Just say you know nothing about baseball in your next post. It would be shorter and to the point.
What a clueless post. Lindor continues to put up offensive numbers among the best in all of MLB. Sit down clown.
.270 average. Might as well sign Chris Taylor instead of a premium price player like smiley face
@Shadow Banned My dude, you’re letting hatred cloud your vision. Lindor brings so much more value than Taylor that the two are hardly comparable (and that’s no slight to Taylor in any way).
There are probably 10 or more teams that Lindor would immediately be the best player on their roster. O’s fan here and I know we’re in good shape currently, but I’d still be doing cartwheels if the O’s signed Lindor for what he’s currently signed for now. He’s a potentially HOFer still putting up seasons amongst his best.
Defense at short stop is worth a lot. I just don’t feel great signing a dude for Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman money when hes putting up JD Martinez/Jason Hayward averages.
Throw JD and Jason in the 3 hole I’m sure they’d have similar numbers as Lindor at the end of the season
He’s ranked atop ten player in almost every metric of baseball year in and year out. Get over not having a .300 batting average.
If I was Bickford, I would feel mighty lucky. Somewhere in between a pitcher and a thrower.
94 mph four-seam fast ball fools few. Inconsistent lider is maybe 10 mph slower.
Bickford TKO Cohen
All seriousness, I bet he’s dealt for cash considerations.
Lolmets haggling over 75k and lost
I feel like people don’t acknowledge that these one year contracts are used as future benchmarks. It isn’t about the $75k, it’s about the millions of dollars the precedent costs over time.
MW
I feel like people don’t acknowledge that these players play like the first decade of their careers at below market rates,
@fili, I don’t begrudge the players for going for more money. I’m acknowledging that the amount at stake in an arbitration hearing is a lot more than the dollars won by a single player in one year.
No, $85k isn’t very much for one season. However, he’s in the first year of arbitration and the raises will compound.
@dankyank and then him making the extra money will be used as a data point in future arbitration years for other players going forward.
Absolutely. Depending on how he develops, $85k this season could turn into a $2 million annual difference by the time he hits free agency. That’s a big gap for a reliever
Even with the ever rising free agent contracts, $2 or $3 million deployed correctly can still buy a useful role player.
I think the joke is on you if you think a 75k arbitration case is worth waiting over to make fun of the Mets. How long were you waiting to post that to get your lolmets in?
Has anyone lost a case yet? Players on a roll today
Not today, but I believe a couple were lost last week. Bickford won his case, but could very well be DFA’d for Fujinami to be added to the roster since Adams was cut for Diekman.
Let’s not get too obsessed over this DFA thing. There are a half dozen candidates for that DFA, and this $85ki is not going to be any factor in that decision. I don’t think it would be Bickford, anyway. If Stearns didn’t want Bickford, he would not have offered him arbitration. Stearns has also said he is trying to construct a bullpen of pitchers who have different looks and arm angles. And Bickford’s certainly fits that description.
Jazz Chisholm lost his first-year case.
I wonder if they’ll DFA him now?
If you can’t win an arb hearing against a scrub like this then you shouldn’t be in an mlb front office. What could he possibly have presented to the arbitrator to swing the decision in his favor? Maybe he has compromising pictures of the judge?
86
Absolutely ignorant comment.
Perhaps have the slightest understanding of something before commenting on it
There are three arbiters which hear and decide a case so it has be orgy pics from a swingers party the three were at.
Even Bickford beats the Mets!!!
Go labor! Go labor! Go labor!
Hard to call the billionaire giving money to the millionaire a win for labor, but I understand the sentiment.
MW
“Hard to call the billionaire giving money to the millionaire a win for labor, ”
I mean, it’s extremely easy
The players do the labor
That extra $85,000 just cost the Mets $178,000 because I thought the Mets are being taxed at 110% this year by being over the last threshold.
I ask the author Anthony Franco or someone in the know please acknowledge that, or correct me if I am wrong.
Probably gonna be the only time he goes to arbitration, I can see DFA and minor league deal in his future.
In a few years his high 4’s ERA will get him $8m a year
Bickford is going to have a great season this year. Hes twice as good as Drew Smith. Hes very good in high level situations. Outside of his first couple games for the Mets hes been solid
He had an impressive save when he rescued Ottavino, but he might not make the roster since someone will have to be DFA’d for Fujinami.
Never would have guessed this guy would last longer than susac when the giants traded him. Dude should have gotten a chance to start though
Pay an over rated SS over 35M a year but take a reliever to arbitration because you don’t want to pay 900K lol only the Mets
Really Mets?! Fighting over $85K?! Probably spent close to that much on attorneys and the arbitrator.
Go Phil!! Big ups and fair.