This evening’s deadline to exchange filing figures has come and gone. The majority of arbitration-eligible players agreed to contracts to avoid going to a hearing. There were 17 instances where the player and team did not come to terms.
Technically, nothing prevents players and teams from continuing to negotiate. However, virtually every team takes a “file-and-trial” approach to the process. Clubs will mostly refuse to continue talks about one-year deals after this date. They’ll often make exceptions for discussions involving multi-year contracts or one-year deals with a club/mutual option. It’s unlikely that all of these players will end up getting to a hearing, but the majority probably will.
If the sides go to a hearing, a three-person arbitration panel will either choose the player’s or the team’s filing figure. They cannot pick a midpoint. That’s designed to prevent the parties from anchoring by filing at extremely high or low figures. Teams’ preferences for the file-and-trial approach follows a similar logic. The idea is to deter players from submitting a higher number from which they could continue to negotiate until the hearing begins.
The list of players who could go to a hearing this winter (service time in parentheses):
Angels
- Luis Rengifo (5.043): Filed at $5.95MM, team filed at $5.8MM (per Jon Heyman of the New York Post)
- José Quijada (4.046): Filed at $1.14MM, team filed at $975K (per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com)
- Mickey Moniak (3.027): Filed at $2MM, team filed at $1.5MM (per Feinsand)
Brewers
- William Contreras (3.112): Filed at $6.5MM, team filed at $5.6MM (per Feinsand)
Cardinals
- Lars Nootbaar (3.076): Filed at $2.95MM, team filed at $2.45MM (per Feinsand)
- Brendan Donovan (3.000): Filed at $3.3MM, team filed at $2.85MM (per Feinsand)
- Andre Pallante (2.145): Filed at $2.1MM, team filed at $1.925MM (per Feinsand)
Cubs
- Kyle Tucker (5.079): Filed at $17.5MM, team filed at $15MM (per Jesse Rogers of ESPN)
Dodgers
- Alex Vesia (4.078): Filed at $2.35MM, team filed at $2.05MM (per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic)
Nationals
- Nathaniel Lowe (4.145): Filed at $11.1MM, team filed at $10.3MM (per Alden González of ESPN)
Orioles
- Jorge Mateo (5.000): Filed at $4MM, team filed at $3.1MM (per Feinsand)
Padres
- Michael King (5.004): Filed at $8.8MM, team filed at $7.325MM (per Heyman)
Pirates
- Dennis Santana (4.126): Filed at $2.1MM, team filed at $1.4MM (per Feinsand)
- Johan Oviedo (3.079): Filed at $1.15MM, team filed at $850K (per Feinsand)
Rays
- Taylor Walls (3.092): Filed at $1.575MM, team filed at $1.3MM (per Feinsand)
Red Sox
- Jarren Duran (2.155): Filed at $4MM, team filed at $3.5MM (per Feinsand)
Yankees
- Mark Leiter Jr. (4.031): Filed at $2.5MM, team filed at $2.05MM (per Heyman)
—————————————
Tucker and the Cubs have the biggest gap in filing figures at $2.5MM. He’s one of the top two free agents in next year’s class and is unlikely to sign an extension, so they’re almost certainly headed to a hearing. King, who will be one of the best pitchers on the open market next winter, is the only other player with more than $1MM at stake depending on the results of the hearing. The smallest divide is the paltry $150K gap between Rengifo’s and the Angels’ respective filing figures. Hearings are scheduled to begin on January 27 and could run through February 14.
Extend King please? Preller in danger of facing his first Arb meeting!
Aloha Gwynning, I hear you! On the flip side, look at my Cubs! Traded away all this talent and controllable years for a rental! Then upon their first deal/transaction with their new “elite” player, they can’t settle with him on his salary for the 1 year! Tucker is going to walk at the end of the season and all my Cubs will be left with is a comp pick, smh! Mahalo Nui!
kgcubs, the team knew all this but decided to roll the dice, hoping they win the division, go on a playoff run and can convince Tucker on staying. It didn’t work with Soto but the Yankees nicely pivoted.
To what? Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger? lmao
What’s wrong with goldschmidt and bellinger??
coocoo,
Goldschmidt and Bellinger are adequate, but they are a big step down from Soto.
@coocoo
You mean besides the obvious? One is old and bad now, while the other fluctuates in value more than a penny stock.
If Yankees get 50% of Soto’s WAR from both of them combined, then I’d call it a win for Yankees.
So neither can fulfill the shoes of an outstanding bat with no fielding skills, speed or base running ability? Ok…..remind me again in 2-3 years when the Soto deal looks like the greatest fleecing of a team in history! Soto is so one dimensional that once he spends 1-2 seasons in the same division and pitchers and managers figure out how easy it is to expose Soto’s one dimensional ability, he will have much more down to earth numbers with his only selling point. Cohen is going to regret this deal that ages like a fart in church. Mets fans are really going to enjoy this time where Cohen spends money like water and the team is hamstrung with stupid signings and trades that gets them buried so deep that they can’t afford to sign a minor league deal with a player much less $800mil! It will be in short timing as well Then the fans will be begging for someone else to own the team that actually knows budgets and financial stability. There’s no constraints on owners. They either spend like insane people or they don’t spend a dime to improve the team and MLB doesn’t see the problem.
freak,
Soto spent 4-1/2 years in the NL East without teams being able to expose him. His “one dimensional ability” just happens to be hitting, the most important ability for a hitter, and he does it exceedingly well. Also, he’s 26, so he may not have peaked yet.
@baseballfreak
Isn’t hitting for average and hitting for power two dimensions?
Both are great gloves and better comp at first base. 1st base was worst in baseball. One year flyer on Goldy for a bounce back but if he equals last year it’s still a helluva lot better than last year. Now you seem to have forgotten that they traded for one of the top closers in Baseball. Also signed a front line ace picture. I’m happy the Yanks didn’t sign Soto. That’s a bad contract to give any player.
@RobertNelson
In the age of high strikeouts, defense is the most overrated skill in MLB.
I do agree with you about the Fried signing being a good one though.
kgcubs… Hoyer could screw up a wet dream.
This difference in 2025 earnings has no impact of where Tucker will sign in the offseason and won’t effect their relationship. all business at this point
I think it’s a bad first impression to make. Pay the man.
Going to arbitration can get mean n nasty as teams zone in on n emphasize players shortcomings whatever they may be. Can have all the venom of divorce court battle. They will highlight every subpar skill n bang on it like a drum. Shows lack of foresight on Cubs FO, not a good look, n I’m sure Tucker’s feathers are ruffled. All that negativity brought out during hearing does have repercussions. “Your” team who “wants” you tries to cut your throat for sake of playing hardball in negotiations, yea its all business but player happiness matters as well as PR hit organization now has to deal with. They unload on player’s whole career, tear it down. Used to read where agents don’t want player at hearing because it can be detrimental n pro athletes can have delicate egos n game at highest level is mostly mental. Why go down that road ?
Niekro,
$2.5M is a big difference. “all the venom of divorce court battle” overstates things significantly. Either way, he’s getting at least $15M, not tearing a marriage apart. It’s not a great situation, but it’s business. No need for the hyperbole.
Gotta remember that the front office guys are in the last year of their contracts. They need to win now, meaning that as of this moment, they literally don’t care what happens next year – they have to make the playoffs this year, or they are toast.
Did you actually think he would sign an extension? First off, Ricketts isbt going to pay 450M, and even if he was willing, Tucker is so close to FA why would he sign now? He’s almost as good as Juan Soto offensively – but not quite. But he’s way better defensively and baserunning so 450M might be light, actually.
I’m guessing they will. Side note, all the Pads fans freaking out about owners being cheap, well, Dodgers, Red Sox, Cubs, and Yankees all have guys they didnt settle with. That mean they’re all cheap too?
Padres being extremely cheap with such a good pitcher
In this market for pitchers too…
unpaid,
Free agent salaries have almost no effect on arbitration salaries, so “this market for pitchers” is irrelevant.
How many years has King been a highly effective starter? Whereas how many years has Tucker been a highly effective player?
The answer is 1 for King & at least 4 for Tucker
Red Sox are definitely being cheap and will likely pay the price later on. Nothing makes a player want to get out of town like being insulted during the arbitration hearing. Duran is a great player. Half a million dollars or a little less is nothing. Pay the man already!
The $0.5M gap for Duran is 17% of the $3.5M Boston submitted, so certainly a non-trivial percentage. Plus, he’s a Super Two player, so he gets four rounds of arbitration. If Boston just gave him $4M, that would compound to increase his arb earnings in 2026-’28 by potentially several million dollars.
I’m in favor of ballplayers get paid closer to what they deserve, but given the setup of arbitration, I understand why the Red Sox took this approach.
Every Sha-La-La-La? Carpenters fan?
Not on a regular basis, I have to admit.
I’m actually all for this, despite loving King and being a Yankees fan (giving him up for Soto was still the right move, even if it didn’t work out entirely) and I think for parity in baseball, clubs like the Padres would do well to extend guys like King.. That said… they are tightening their purse strings and still have some very expensive contracts on their books that they either couldn’t get rid of if they wanted to, or can’t afford to get rid of commercially- like their fanbase would revolt, they’d look unnecessarily cheap, etc.
King isn’t stupid. I think he knows if he repeats his performance- which he is very likely to do- he is looking at like $20M a year at a steep, steep, steeeeep bargain, which is *not* going to happen and as much as $35M in a year in an aggressive bidding war- which is far more realistic and $27.5M to $32.5M a year is probably the most realistic salary range for him as a free agent.
I could be wrong. Maybe I’m over valuing him and he can be had for like 3 years/$45M or 4 years/$80M on the open market- but I don’t think I am. And the Padres aren’t in the market to spend like that.
@Trillionare I’m not sure I agree King is worth Burnes money. He’s pitched half the innings of Burnes at essentially the same production. He’ll be the same age. I could see $27.5M/year but even $32.5M/year feels like a stretch. And he only has award recognition in 1-2 years in free agency (less important but unfortunately does play a role in bidding wars). He’s also only recently become a true starter. There’s more risk there than I think teams want in a premium-priced free agent… But whichever team wins that bidding war will hopefully reap some excellent benefits for a few years!
I agree with all that, but I think about guys like Corbin and others with historically low innings totals or high ERA’s etc and some guys convert one decent season and one great season into a 5+ year deal at a premium rate of $23M to $33M per.
But yes, I think more realistic if he matches or tops his 2024 performance would be like 4 years/$110M maybe 5 years/$130M— but those weird overpays of like 6 years/$195M do happen for pitchers with King’s record and total innings etc on rare occasions.
It’ll get done.
You’re telling me that the Cardinals, (basically John Mozeliak & Bill DeWitt III), will not approve a grand total of $9 million dollars for 3 possible Core Players of the future???
That’s Crazy!!
The money the Cardinals are saving on the Lance Lynn’s Contract alone will cover the raises of those 3 players —-
—- with money left over to cover more!
What is wrong with these people???
Is this a sign of things to come under Bill DeWitt III —— Poor Bloom!!!
So my prediction is the cubs won’t be retaining Tucker next year
This is business. He will sign next year with whomever makes the best offer. The idea of loyalty to a team by a player is one of the most overblown things among MLB fandom. Players have very limited opportunities to cut deals, and their big earning years are generally few, so setting themselves up for life – and in a very few cases, setting up the next generation for life – is a much bigger deal that what color their shirts are.
The cubs know that it’s a 99% chance he leaves next year
Which means that this year is World Series or bust, yet Tucker is the only big move they’ve made this year and they actually cut salary by trading Bellinger
@sad tormented neglected mariners
Yeah, the trade made no sense for the Cubs. Take a 1-year flyer on the guy who’s leaving but they aren’t in a position to compete for the title.
It makes sense if this is the last year of your GM and PoBO contracts.
Listening to the Cubs ownership and management they only want to contend for the division. They are of the opinion that once you make the playoffs anything can happen. While that’s true there is nothing good that is happening there. Jed Hoyer’s management style is “hoping” good things happen and “If” things fall in place. Embarrassing.
The Cubs want to pay Tucker the same amount the White Sox pay Benitendi
Old guy, not a good or fair comparison. Arbitration numbers have ranged as otherwise Tucker would have asked for even more. They will settle so as not to bring up negativity at the hearing. He’ll get $17.25m or something just as close to his number and they will hope for a great year as I posted elsewhere.
Idk why everyone believes and says this. Not a cubs fan at all, but Chicago is a fun electric city and a great place to live in you are filthy rich. Plus the cubs have unlimited funds with no face of franchise and no mega contracts on the books. Seems like a perfect match to me ! It’ll take 400 mil or so, Tucker is worth that, and they seem like a good match for each other. I say right now cubs are favs to sign him. Now let’s see how the season goes
If it was 2016 then the cubs would try to sign him
But ever since Covid the cubs haven’t been spending just like the Red Sox
Seems like 2 well ran franchises with a good strategy to develop competitive teams. Especially looking at their minor league talent ! I think they both spend on big contracts as their windows to compete continue to open up
World Series or bust? You mean watching the world series at Hooters?
Someone please tell Mateo you can’t steal 1st base?!
He must think so, filing 30% above the team’s figure. 30% being significantly more than the percentage of plate appearances he can get on base.
Agreed! Love the guy but 3.1 million sounds reasonable for his skill set and role.
Jarren Duran also filed for $4M. Of those two, which one would you rather have for $4M? (cue Jeopardy theme)
Right ! How did he not ger cut ?
Here’s to all 17 of these guys, and I sincerely hope that the players win 17-0. Nobody here breaks the bank, and I’d like to see all teams chastised for arguing over what in MLB is $$ for peanuts.
Teams throw millions at stars in bidding wars, but quibble over $200k with these workday players. Shameful.
This would be a playoff team and the MLB is lowballing them.
Who’s Texas and why are you Bobin
I am Bob, and I am the one in Texas. For the last 18 years at least. I grew up in the DC area, and was an Orioles and Nationals full-season ticket holder for many years.
Bobin, do you understand anything about the system? Take Duran who has multiple years left. He might have been asking for even more before the exchange and gave a number he believes he can win. Regardless, the decided amount became the floor for if he gets injured and misses all of 25. It worked out for Betts going year to year but not many are Mookie, Hopefully, the team and agent work on a multi year deal before the hearing.
Don’t better trying to educate these simpletons
Dewey, I understand the system perfectly: six years of indentured servitude, where teams penny pinch to keep salaries as artificially restricted as possible, followed by the freedom that is free agency, where we find out what a player’s true market worth is.
Teams love arbitration while it lasts, and nearly all use file-and-trial as leverage to get players to settle for a lower number before the filing date. And we all see what the Giants did to JD Davis even after he won his case.
My point is that teams are needlessly petty over small arbitration sums.
They obviously don’t understand the system at all. Duran had an 8.7 WAR last year. There is zero chance he loses his arbitration filing. He will now be very unlikely to sign with the Red Sox down the road and the Red Sox will have another star walk out the front door. Tucker was traded for with the intention of signing him long term. The Cubs immediately tell him he’s not worth the money practically guarantees he’s not a Cub next year. The Padres are trying to sign Roki Sasaki but are telling another young elite pitcher they can’t afford him.
Sorry Dewey but pass on a multi year deal for Duran unless it’s reasonable and just to cover his arbitration years.
Tell me you don’t understand baseball without telling me you don’t understand baseball. Every year this happens every year teams negotiate like this. Every year there’s savants highly intelligent people like myself who explain why this happens.
Yes it happens every year but is it a good thing? I’ll admit I don’t really understand this system, but I feel like most of these players deserve better than what they are getting. If you could explain to me why they are getting these lower values, that would be great.
We know why it happens. It’s still petty penny pinching by billionaires and wage suppression from the owner class. Simping for the owner class while proclaiming how much smarter you are than the rest of us doesn’t paint you as the highly intelligent person you think it does.
All these salaries have an impact on their budget, profitability, costs they pass on to fans and against the luxury tax. These guys aren’t making minimum wage they’re being paid millions of dollars and teams are under no obligation to pay more than what they feel like it fair market because you think they should because they’re an MLB team and they can. It’s still a business and if their business is unprofitable that’s bad for everyone. Why should a team pay more in arbitration years than they need to just so that once they get to free agency they’ll have to pay an astronomical about of money for a mediocre player? And all teams don’t have unlimited budgets. Thinking that teams should just pay whatever the amount isn’t realistic and just shows when it comes to business in the real world you’re just naive.
If you have think the likes of NVIDA low ball their developers and engineers then you are the one truly naive. If you want to stay n business then you bring in the highest quality employees and compensate them well or else your competition will eat your lunch.
Duran was one of the best players on the team last year, we can’t just split the difference and go 3.75 to avoid an arb hearing?
That’s probably what’s going to happen
Why split the difference? Just give him the 4m. Worth every penny and then some.
Give him 8 and he will feel better about staying.
I’d give him the $4MM he’s asking.
Maybe they’re punishing him for his “outburst” towards the heckler. They seem like that type of organization.
you keep minimizing what Duran said as if what he said wasn’t reprehensible but you seem like the type of guy ok with minimizing others. .
Brew poo fixin to piss off another star over 900k
Best catcher in the game. Hope the Brewers don’t poison the well like they did with Burnes a few years ago.
Most of these guys are pretty good. Not sure how Tucker, Duran, Contreras and King would get to this point with teams.
Must be a new fan if you don’t understand this
I understand completely. These four teams don’t like to keep stars in their roster and they will all be playing somewhere else when they are free agents.
King seems like a realistic extension candidate. I think he could be had for below market value if he gets a real offer from the Padres.
Also $8.8M is still a bargain for him even as an arbitration figure.
He has proved himself to be the real deal, to be a reliable no. 2 quality starter if not a borderline no. 1 starter.
If he repeats his performance next year he’s looking at like 5 years/$115M easily and as much as 8 years/$260M in this crazy pitching market.
If the Padres offered him 1 year/$12.5M plus 6 years/$150M I could see that getting it done.
Then again, I wouldn’t mind him returning to the Yankees as a free agent…. So, go ahead Padres, under pay him on one year of arbitration!
King has no incentive to take a below market deal from the padres
Padres aren’t in any position to be handing out at or above market deals the next two years.
As things stand padres are at 173 mill for 2026 and 2027. That’s roughly 60 mill away from the CBT tax.
They need to
fill gaps in the rotation left by Cease and King.
find a long term answer in LF
focus on how to replace Luis Arraez
possibly replace Suarez who can opt out of after 2025, if you replace him in house you need to replace whoever replaced him in the pen.
They have so many holes currently going forward they can’t be dishing out 20-30 mill to King alone
Oh I know. Look, if King is the real deal, which I believe him to be, I wouldn’t mind, nee, I would *love* if he reaches free agency and the Yankees swoop in with like 8 years/$218.2M and win the bidding war for him.
I loved King on the Yankees, hated to see him go, would love to see him return, think he’s worth that kind of money, at least would be for the first half of the deal.
But for parity in baseball, I’d like a mid-market club to shell out for a guy like him while still fielding something resembling a competitive roster.
I worry the Padres will eventually become like the Reds with Votto or the Dbacks when they had Greinke or something like that- one or two guys on massive record breaking deals and nothing else because they don’t have the money.
But the fact is that *do* have the money, they just don’t want to spend it now that Seidler has passed.
Unless king has an amazingly good year the numbers being tossed out here are on the high side.
If the padres could get king right now for 5years 100-125m that would be a good deal for both.
If not then king will like be gone via free agency.
While the padres could lose (likely) Cease, King, Arraez and Suarez next offseason. Those dudes plus Hosmer coming off is also nearly 60m in payroll. The padres will be getting Musgrove back on 26’, he will replace one of those two guys. Now some of that 60m will be eaten up by salary increases to guys as well.
The padres don’t need to solve Left Field long term. It’s okay to have a few open positions each year. Not every spot has to be locked up long term. If Arraez leaves after next season I think the hopeful plan is to stick DeVries as short and move Xander to second, Salas to catcher. Left field is an easy position to fill so not worried about it…same with 1b/dh.
It’s starting pitching that is my only concern long term for the Padres. This is why a guy like Roki would be massive. Land him and you will still have Yu, Musgrove, Roki in 26’. If they don’t then they will have a big hole in the rotation.
I’d trade cronenworth if I could. He free’s up some money for the next 6 years. Also is out of position if not playing second. Xander is the long term option at second in my eyes.
They still have 173 mill on the books for 2026 and 2027
60 mill isn’t enough to replace King Cease Arraez Suarez adequately.
You need an every day LF or a platoon situation of sorts. Padres have neither. They’re already sacrificing offense at 1B, DH (two of your more power prominent positions) and C (that’s natural).They can’t afford to not have offense at LF too.
Nobody is taking cronenworth contract off the padres hands unless they include cash or prospects.
They need a LF but they don’t have to have a long term solution.
No 60m won’t resolve all three of those guys. That’s why it’s important that guys like DeVries can replace guys like Arraez. Now you have 60m to replace two guys. One which will be replaced by Musgrove who is already on the payroll in 26’.
It’s really not as bad as you make it look like. There is a ton of money on the books but they don’t have a ton of holes. Some holes will be filled by guys not making much.
They may have to eat a little of cronenworth’s contract to move him. Even if it’s say 20m, over 6 years that just over 3m a year. They would still save 9m a year if they did that.
The Padres are perfectly fine, they just need to fill in some holes with cheap vets or some young cats with some upside. Give a little more lineup depth. We will see a number of guys this spring who will be given a chance to be starting pitchers as well. Perhaps one of them pan out.
The start of the season isn’t how the team finishes looking like.
Yankees seem like a good trade partner for cronenworth and Wandy. Even if the padres eat some money.
I’d also look at trading Suarez. Perhaps a team like the Red Sox would be a good fit.
These are some guys they could move, save a some money on and perhaps get something useful back for. Padres pen looks really good and think can handle losing Suarez.
They are spending a billion dollars on three converted shortstops. Yes, they should try to keep someone like King, but please do not pretend this team doesn’t spend money and lump them in with someone like the Reds, who spend much less.
Also they extended Darvish (why?) and Musgrove, naturally you can’t keep everyone.
@hopecamels35
Darvish showed in the postseason why you extend him, even at his age. His contract will be a bargain if he can stay healthy the rest of the way.
Given the padres financial situation they need a long term answer in LF from not only an offense/defense standpoint point but because they can’t afford to pay top of the market services and fill other needs at the same time. They need a cheap young controllable LF.
Going the FA route youre either paying someone 15-20 on a 1 year deal basis for a good LF or you’re paying someone less than 10 mill for less production.
Padres got lucky last year that Higgy and Profar gave them production that they did from the C and LF positions for the price they were at.
Expecting to replicate that isn’t feasible while maintaining subpar offense at 1B and DH like they did last year. 4 out of your 9 bats can’t be posting average or below offense. At best two can and you stick them in your 8 and 9 hole and hope for something. But your 6 7 8 9 hitters posting average or less isn’t getting the team far.
So yes. Padres need a long term answer in LF cause they also need two rotation arms, a ss, a c, a DH, a new 1B looking ahead to 2026 and 2027. 60 mill will absolutely not afford all that.
Just give Tucker the 17 million. He’s already one of the best hitters the Cubs have had in years, and hasn’t even started playing as a Cub…
Why don’t you send him a check yourself then?
Why on earth would any business spend $2.5 million more than they might have to spend? Do you think that Tucker will tank because he’s mad at the Cubs, thereby damaging his value for a big free agent contract next winter? Do you think that there won’t be any free agents or other opportunities to replace his numbers on the roster if the Cubs want to pay for that next year? Do you think that a front office whose contracts are expiring are putting more weight on the 2026 team than on the 2025 team and keeping the payroll under the limit set by ownership? Do you think that the Cubs would give up the opportunity to spend $2.5 mill more this year on another piece that could help them now while avoiding going over the luxury tax?
$2.5 million is a lot of money, no matter who you are.
I’ll start a Go Fund Me page for the Cubs ownership.
Hoyer has signed so many stupid contracts over the last 5 years, most of them short term relatively small contracts. Last year they were paying Neris, Gomes, Mancini and Barnhart 20 + million to not play for them. He finds a way to consistently have 10-15 millions of dollars of dead money floating around the roster. Sure let’s piss Tucker off over 2
million he absolutely deserves.
The Cardinals are absolutely in money saving mode. I don’t remember a time they had 3 players go before a mediator.
Not the Cards we grew-up w/that’s for sure. Used to always find way to compete even being mid-market team.
After what happened to J.D. Davis last year, you’d think EVERY SINGLE PLAYER would be highly motivated NOT to go to an arbitration hearing. Even if they win the arbitration case, it’s NOT guaranteed money like all other contracts in baseball are. Teams can release the player and back out of the contract up to and including spring training games!
Yeah, this point definitely needs emphasizing more.
That said, it doesn’t really apply in every case. Brewers for example are never going to release Contreras, regardless of arbitration outcome, as he and they well know. But for borderline players, the JD Davis precedent is a very real concern and will surely lead to players settling low rather than fighting.
This will presumably be addressed in the next CBA.
Leave it to the Pirates to have the biggest gap in salary at 33%. Someone is way off and i’m guessing its not Danny Santana
*Dennis
The Pads are taking King to arbitration over $1.5 mil?
Woof.
Here I thought he must have been asking for $10 million.
Maybe the team really should just trade King and Cease. Load up on young pitching and pray for rain in ’25.
At least season tickets sold out. Couldn’t have been due to this offseason so far.
1.5m is a big enough gap when it’s under 10m. Like a 20% difference. That’s also 1.5m more over the tax. Which they seem to want to get below.
@Simm
I don’t think it’s a good look to take one of your aces, and a guy you’d like to sign long-term, to arbitration over 1.5 mil.
But, fair point as to the percentage difference. The Pads will no doubt cite it in the arbitration hearing.
Pirates won’t even give their #4 SP locked into a rotation spot 1 million dollars
Let that sink in.
New ownership is necessary
They are probably not happy having to pay him for last year when he was injured.
It looks very x (odd), the disparity between arbitration figures and Super
Star salaries
It ridiculous on the part of both sides to be haggling over this kind of money when they already have so much. I mean, yeah, the owners make a ton of cash of these guys, but it’s not like they’re doing anything for the betterment of society. They’re playing baseball. Or football. Or basketball, hockey, etc.
Some of these cases are a waste of time with the such little salary gaps between team and player, you’d think they would agree on something in between. And the Cubs being in a bigger market and can’t agree on a salary for a player they just traded for. Cubs owner crying poor? lol
I don’t think so. It effects the next year arb number substantially and it’s more money then most these guys have ever seen or seen in a long time. Take moniak for example. He’s been living off his signing bonus, minor league wages and league minimum wages for what, 8 years now ? That difference in his earnings is substantial especially when talking about living in LA
Tucker arb is moot point. Cubs should be presenting a not so easy extension to turn down. Could be 10yrs in 400-425 range. If he still says no, you are at peace and arb salary gap means nothing. If he misses a lot of time like last season, that’s the overlooked part that FA offers are not a given to be astronomical.
Oh goody, the Red Sox made promises of aggressive spending all winter, “raising the ceiling” and other such platitudes, but really insist on taking our best player to arbitration over $500k. JFC.
Cubs are right there as well. Tucker wants 17 million and Cubs offered 15 million, which is not a good look for the organization that just traded for him, but I’m being told to feel sorry for the billionaire owner…
I’m not Matt Schwartz, but if chubby Vlad got 19.9 mil after going to arb hearing LAST YEAR and a nice 28.5 mil THIS YEAR! How the heck do Cubs think Tucker is worth only 15 mil (almost half what chubby Vlad is getting?!?!) It would be laughable to hear those arb arguments, Lol.
Vlad Jr. was a Super Two player so he’s gone through four years of arbitration. Tucker is on his third year. A player”s first year arb figure will have exponential effect on their subsequent years. It’s also why some first-year arb players will fight over a few hundred thousands.
After Duran had that kind of year and the team is going to balk at offering him 4 mill to come to an agreement? Is the A’s ownership in charge of the Red Sox arbitration?
No, sadly, we have a long and rich history of trying to lowball our players in arbitration.
I’m not a huge fan of Rengifo but to go to arbitration over 150 grand seems excessively cheap, especially for a team that is paying two guys three quarters of a billion to sit in the trainer’s room.
Absolutely embarrassing. They paid Bellinger $27.5MM for one year and they can’t pay a player better in every aspect more than $15MM? Doesn’t make sense in the slightest. This tells me they don’t even plan to offer him an extension. No way they’ll pay him $30MM+ a year if they want to pay him half of that now. What a depressing day.
Now Tucker is going to come into the clubhouse with his lawyer and be all business this year knowing he just needs to put up numbers and go to a real ballclub the following year. This whole thing reeks.
Yeah maybe Cubs tried hard for extension but were rebuffed so now they’re penny pinching with him.
Bottom line, Vlad Jr got 19.9 last year, 28.5 mil this year and Cubs think 15 mil is fair market value or acceptable for Tucker?!?! Lol
The cubs are quibbling over 2 million dollars with a guy they should want to extend, morons. I think the cubs are better than last year but not 10 games better. They haven’t gotten a top of the rotation arm or a real closer. The offense and bench should be improved. This isn’t a World Series team, so the tucker trade really makes no sense without an extension.
For the Cardinals sake, John Mozeliak needs to take a step back. Or even better —- step out and let Bloom take over right now.
It’s obvious John Mozeliak does not have the Cardinals team’s best interest at heart. Nor will he for the entirety of the 2025 season.
In my opinion, Mozeliak quit putting his best effort forward a long time ago!!
He’s drawing a check and letting the Team disintegrate.
@17dizzy
I think he quit putting out effort when tlr retired, once tlr was gone there was no one to challenge mo and the one manger we found that would he fired 2 years later. This is why you don’t build a fo of yes men, you need guys/gals that will challenge the decision or least make you think on them.