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Mike Zunino

Players Avoiding Arbitration Prior To 2019 Non-Tender Deadline

By Steve Adams | December 2, 2019 at 4:41pm CDT

With tonight’s 8pm ET deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players looming, there’ll be several players who agree to one-year contracts for the 2020 season today. It’s common for the day of the non-tender deadline to be a big one for arbitration agreements, though it’s also worth noting that many of the players who agree to terms today will do so at a rate that’s lower than the salary figures projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.

Broadly speaking, players who agree to terms on a salary this far in advance tend to be those who were at risk of being non-tendered, and their teams are able to use tonight’s deadline as leverage in bringing about a deal that saves them a bit of cash. A look at some of the early instances of players agreeing to terms reveals this to be true already; Mike Zunino ($4.5MM salary vs. $4.9MM projection), Wilmer Difo ($1MM salary vs. $1.2MM projection) and Scott Alexander ($875K salary vs. $1MM projection) have all agreed to lesser terms rather than risk being cast out into the free-agent market.

We’ll keep track of today’s players who avoid arbitration in this post and update throughout the day…

  • The Padres have a deal for $1.5MM with infielder Greg Garcia, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. That’s a shade under his $1.7MM projection for the 30-year-old.
  • Infielder Orlando Arcia has avoided arbitration with the Brewers, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter). Though he’s set to lose some playing time, it seems Arcia will be expected to retain a notable role. He’s considered a talented defender at short and was long expected to come around with the bat, but it hasn’t happened yet.
  • Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes is in agreement on a $1.1MM deal, per Robert Murray (Twitter link). It’s a guaranteed deal, which isn’t standard for arbitration pacts. Barnes had projected at $1.3MM on the heels of a disappointing season. It seems he’ll be asked to function as the club’s second backstop in 2020.

Earlier Moves

  • The Rangers have a deal in place with right-hander Nick Goody, the club announced. He’ll earn $915K, according to MLB.com’s TR Sullivan (via Twitter). Goody projected to earn $1.1MM, so he’s taking a discount on that mark with his new club.
  • Just-acquired righty Jharel Cotton has agreed to a $640K deal with the Cubs, Rosenthal tweets. Cotton had projected at $800K but he’s surely focused first and foremost on getting a significant MLB opportunity. He didn’t quite make it back to the majors in 2019 after a long injury layoff but figures to represent a swingman option for the Chicago club in 2020.
  • Outfielder Alex Dickerson and lefty Wandy Peralta are in agreement with the Giants, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter links). Dickerson settled for $925K, which is well under his $1.2MM projected earning power. The 29-year-old has had trouble staying healthy but usually hits when he is on the field. He rewarded the San Francisco organization for taking a shot on him last year by turning in a .290/.351/.529 batting line in 171 plate appearances. As for Peralta, he lands right at his projected value with a $805K salary. The 28-year-old was claimed off waivers late in the 2019 season.
  • The White Sox and James McCann avoided arbitration with a one-year deal worth $5.4MM, tweets ESPN’s Jeff Passan. McCann’s deal checks in a half million dollars north of his $4.9MM projection. Chicago’s addition of Yasmani Grandal has likely relegated McCann to backup duties, so he’ll be a rather expensive second catcher for the South Siders. A free agent next winter, McCann hit .273/.328/.460 with a career-high 18 home runs, but his bat went dormant in the season’s final few months and his .359 BABIP seems particularly ripe for regression.
  • The Athletics avoided arbitration with left-handed reliever T.J. McFarland by agreeing to a one-year contract worth $1.8MM, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets. That salary effectively puts McFarland in line for the same salary he’d have received had he had his $1.85MM club option exercised by the Diamondbacks. Arizona, however, bought him out for $50K and then ran him through waivers, at which point the A’s claimed him. The 30-year-old posted a 4.82 ERA with a middling 5.6 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 56 2/3 innings this past season, but he’s a ground-ball behemoth (61.1 percent). He’ll be a free agent next winter and had been projected at $2.1MM.
  • Infielder Ehire Adrianza and the Twins agreed on a $1.6MM salary for the upcoming season, Nightengale tweets. The versatile utilityman hit .272/.349/.416 in 236 plate appearances while appearing at all four infield spots and both outfield corners. Adrianza, a free agent next winter, was projected at $1.9MM.
  • Outfielder Travis Jankowski agreed to a rare arbitration pay cut with the Reds, Bobby Nightengale Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. After earning $1.165MM in 2019, he’ll be owed $1.05MM in 2020 if he makes the club. A fractured wrist cost him much of the season in 2019, and he was just 4-for-22 when healthy and in the Majors. Jankowski did have a nice season in Triple-A, though (.393 OBP in 39 games), and the Reds gave up some international funds to acquire him, which seemingly indicated that they planned to tender him a contract. He was projected to earn $1.2MM.

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  • The Nationals announced that they’ve agreed to one-year deals with infielder Wilmer Difo and right-hander Hunter Strickland. (Difo’s deal was reported yesterday.) Acquired from the Mariners in a deadline swap, the 31-year-old Strickland was hit hard with the Nats, yielding a dozen runs on 20 hits (five homers) and eight walks with 15 strikeouts in 21 innings. The resulting 5.14 ERA wasn’t pretty, nor was his work in the NLDS (four runs in two innings). But with a $1.6MM salary projection, a quality track record and a clear bullpen need, he was appealing enough for the Nats to keep around on a non-guaranteed arbitration deal.
  • Left-hander Mike Montgomery and the Royals are in agreement on a one-year, $3.1MM contract, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports (Twitter link). Acquired in the trade that sent Martin Maldonado to the Cubs, Montgomery made 13 starts with Kansas City and turned in a 4.64 ERA with 7.2 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 1.69 HR/9 and a 51.5 percent ground-ball rate. Those are hardly world-beating results, but Montgomery has never really struggled with home runs before, so perhaps the belief is that a correction to this past season’s juiced ball will lead to better numbers. He’d been projected to earn $2.9MM, so he actually came out a bit in front despite agreeing to an early deal. Not only that, but unlike most arbitration agreements, Montgomery’s contract is fully guaranteed, MLBTR has learned. The Royals can control Montgomery through 2021.
  • The Phillies and Andrew Knapp agreed to a $710K salary for the upcoming season, thus avoiding arbitration, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports (via Twitter). The 28-year-old Knapp has yet to deliver on his prospect status with the Phils, slashing .223/.327/.336 through 579 plate appearances in the Majors (including .213/.318/.324 in 160 plate appearances this past season). With J.T. Realmuto entrenched as the backstop in 2020 (and perhaps beyond), Knapp profiles as the top backup option in Philadelphia for now. He’d been projected to earn $800K and is controllable through the 2022 season.
  • The Orioles announced that they’ve agreed to terms on a 2020 contract with left-hander Richard Bleier. The southpaw had a rough go of things in his return from 2018 surgery to repair a Grade 3 lat strain — 5.37 ERA in 55 1/3 innings — but he finished the season strong. Bleier also continued to display superlative control (1.3 BB/9) and elite ground-ball skills (59.9 percent), both of which have helped to offset his paltry strikeout rates to this point in his career (4.3 K/9, 11.6 K%). He was projected to earn $1.1MM, but MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand tweets that Bleier has agreed to a $915K salary for the upcoming season.
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Alex Dickerson Andrew Knapp Arizona Diamondbacks Austin Barnes Baltimore Orioles Chicago Cubs Chicago White Sox Cincinnati Reds Ehire Adrianza Greg Garcia Hunter Strickland J.T. Realmuto James McCann Jharel Cotton Kansas City Royals Los Angeles Dodgers Martin Maldonado Mike Montgomery Mike Zunino Milwaukee Brewers Minnesota Twins Nick Goody Oakland Athletics Orlando Arcia Philadelphia Phillies Richard Bleier San Diego Padres San Francisco Giants Scott Alexander Seattle Mariners T.J. McFarland Texas Rangers Todd Zolecki Transactions Travis Jankowski Wandy Peralta Washington Nationals Wilmer Difo Yasmani Grandal

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AL Notes: Zunino, Rangers, Apostel, Cole, Boras

By Dylan A. Chase | November 30, 2019 at 8:45pm CDT

The Rays made the gutsy decision to bet on a bounceback from catcher Mike Zunino in 2020, opting to avoid arb with the former Gator via a $4.5MM deal while Travis d’Arnaud headed for richer pastures in Atlanta. Zunino has never been what one would call a complete hitter, but 2019 represented a personal low from a performance standpoint, with the former top draftee managing just a .165/.232/.312 (45 wRC+) output through 289 plate appearances. Now, the likelihood of a Zunino rebound at the plate may rest on the work of hitting coach Chad Mottola, suggests Josh Tolentino of The Athletic (link).

As Tolentino notes, Mottola was instrumental in helping d’Arnaud find offensive consistency and also helped pull shortstop Willy Adames out of an early-season funk in 2019. Zunino’s real value will likely always lie with the glove (he did record 8.3 Fielding Runs Above Average in limited work in 2019, per Baseball Prospectus), but a return to his 2017 levels (126 wRC+ and 25 homers in 124 games) would certainly be a welcome development. The Rays also hold a $4.5MM option on Zunino for the 2021 season.

More notes from around the American League…

  • The Rangers’ decision to draft two third basemen, Josh Jung and Davis Wendzel, with their top two picks in the 2019 draft led many to believe that the future of that position was well in hand, but the toolsy Sherten Apostel should not be counted out as a long-term answer, opines Levi Weaver of The Athletic. Originally acquired alongside Taylor Hearn in a 2018 deadline deal that sent Keone Kela to Pittsburgh, Apostel is likely to start 2020 at High-A Down East alongside Jung. Despite his 6’4 frame, organizational observers are bullish about his ability to stick at the hot corner, and his prodigious raw power prompted Single-A Hickory manager Matt Hagen to credit the 20-year-old Curacao native with “man-child” strength. Apostel managed a .251/.339/.440 slash line and 19 home runs across 478 plate appearances between two levels last year. Of course, the position could be addressed via a long-term signing this offseason, with our writers settling on Texas as a realistic destination for free agent Josh Donaldson in early November.
  • While much has been made of Gerrit Cole’s professional relationship with agent Scott Boras this offseason, observers should take note that Cole previously shown a tendency to direct his own fortunes, reminds Tracy Ringolsby of Baseball America. When Cole was a first-round draftee of the Yankees back in 2008, it was Cole and his father, according to Ringolsby, who made the ultimate decision to pursue a collegiate career at UCLA. Cole’s first-round signing bonus that year was expected to land around $4MM, but the Cole family apparently believed that the intangible value of an education–to say nothing of another chance of entering the draft at a higher slot–outweighed the benefits of an early payday. Obviously, it doesn’t register as news to be reminded that agents are entrusted to work for the best interests of their clients, but it may be worth considering, given their working history, that the former Astros ace and his representatives likely have more in mind this offseason than pure dollar value alone.
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Gerrit Cole Houston Astros Mike Zunino Notes Scott Boras Sherten Apostel Tampa Bay Rays Texas Rangers

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Rays Avoid Arbitration With Mike Zunino

By Jeff Todd | November 25, 2019 at 3:54pm CDT

3:54pm: This agreement has now been announced.

2:22pm: The Rays are nearing agreement on a contract with backstop Mike Zunino, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). If finalized as expected, he’ll earn $4.5MM for the 2020 campaign and remain under control in the 2021 season with a $4.5MM club option.

Zunino was projected to earn $4.9MM via arbitration by MLBTR and contributor Matt Swartz. That was a big enough sum that it seemed possible he’d be non-tendered by the budget-conscious Tampa Bay organization. But with Travis d’Arnaud heading to Atlanta, the Rays decided to hang onto a known quantity to pair with Michael Perez behind the dish.

The arrangement that the sides have settled upon pays Zunino a bit less than might have been anticipated, though it’s well within the range of plausible outcomes for his arbitration case. He’ll avoid the risks of the open market. The club will be able to achieve value through the option if Zunino performs as hoped. The option year includes an escalator provision that allows Zunino to boost the potential salary by up to $750K based upon the number of plate appearances he takes in 2020, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter).

Zunino, 28, is a valued defender who has at times been quite productive with the bat. But he’s coming off of a forgettable 2019 offensive season. Zunino slashed just .165/.232/.312 over his 289 plate appearances, with the departing d’Arnaud taking more of the reps over the course of the season. It wasn’t long ago (2017) that Zunino rode a .355 batting average on balls in play to a .251/.331/.509 batting output. But he managed only a .220 BABIP in 2019. Statcast suggests the dip is the product of both misfortune (his .271 xwOBA dwarfed his .235 wOBA) and a performance downturn (36.9% hard-hit ratio, down from 46.9% in 2017).

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Rays Reinstate, Option Michael Perez

By Steve Adams | June 10, 2019 at 12:58pm CDT

The Rays announced Monday that they’ve reinstated catcher Michael Perez from the 10-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Durham. Perez missed more than a month due to an oblique injury.

Not long ago, it looked as through Perez’s return could push Travis d’Arnaud out of the mix in Tampa Bay. The longtime Mets catcher had struggled considerably at the plate in his time with the Rays and was acquired only for cash considerations, so there’d have been little harm in cutting him loose based on his struggles. Since late May, however, d’Arnaud has come to life at the plate. He’s hit safely in six of his past seven starts, including four multi-hit efforts. He’s suddenly batting .259/.323/.481 with three homers as a member of the Rays, albeit in a small sample of 62 plate appearances.

With Mike Zunino back from the injured list and d’Arnaud riding a hot streak, there’s not much room on the big league roster for Perez at the moment. The 26-year-old has batted .274/.328/.389 in 126 plate appearances with the Rays since being acquired from the D-backs in the trade that sent Matt Andriese to Arizona last year, but he’ll have to wait for another opportunity at the MLB level. He still seems like a viable long-term piece for the Rays moving forward — particularly given that he can be controlled through 2024. Zunino is a free agent after the 2020 season, while d’Arnaud will be a free agent this offseason.

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Rays Designate Erik Kratz, Activate Mike Zunino

By Jeff Todd | May 31, 2019 at 2:01pm CDT

The Rays announced that they have designated catcher Erik Kratz for assignment. His roster spot will go to fellow backstop Mike Zunino, who has been activated from the injured list.

Kratz turns 39 in mid-June and still hasn’t topped a thousand career MLB plate appearances, but he has carved out a second act as a trustworthy journeyman reserve. Unfortunately, he has managed only five hits and two walks in 53 plate appearances this year with the Giants and Rays.

Zunino ended up missing three weeks with a quad strain. It may have felt like a lengthier duration than that for a Tampa Bay team that has received next to nothing offensively from the catching position. Zunino hasn’t exactly torn it up at the plate himself, turning in a familiar blend of good pop and unsightly on-base numbers. But he has been much more productive than Kratz and Travis d’Arnaud, who have stepped in amidst a dizzying run of injuries for Rays catchers. (Michael Perez and Anthony Bemboom are still on the IL.)

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Mike Zunino Close To Return

By Connor Byrne | May 30, 2019 at 12:45am CDT

The Rays have been without injured catcher Mike Zunino for three weeks, but he could return as early as Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Zunino went to the 10-day IL on May 9 with a left quad strain.

Injuries, not just to Zunino, have victimized Rays catchers this year. Zunino headed to the shelf just four days after an oblique strain sent fellow backstop Michael Perez to the IL. When the club lost Zunino, it promoted Anthony Bemboom as his replacement, but the latter wound up on the IL on May 15 with a knee sprain.

With only struggling minor league Nick Ciuffo to turn to as a healthy 40-man option, the banged-up Rays had to scour the trade market for help earlier this month. They acquired former Mets starter Travis d’Arnaud from the Dodgers on the 10th and landed journeyman Erik Kratz in a deal with the Giants on the 16th. Unfortunately for Tampa Bay, those two haven’t offered much help so far. D’Arnaud and Kratz have combined for seven hits (five singles, two doubles), 17 strikes and three walks in 52 plate appearances, essentially making them automatic outs.

Aside from Perez – who’s still dealing with “discomfort,” per Topkin – no Rays backstop has done much at the plate this season. That includes Zunino, though the ex-Mariner’s .220/.260/.407 line in 96 PA would be welcome for the Rays compared to what they’ve gotten from d’Arnaud and Kratz.

It seems likely the return of Zunino will lead to the end of Kratz’s time on the Rays’ 40-man roster. The 38-year-old’s out of minor league options and has been behind d’Arnaud in Tampa Bay’s pecking order.

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Injury Notes: McHugh, Davis, Tepera, Zunino, Duke

By Steve Adams | May 21, 2019 at 8:09pm CDT

The Astros announced today that right-hander Collin McHugh is headed to the 10-day injured list due to discomfort in his right elbow. It’s an ominous-sounding injury but the cause for concern doesn’t appear to be great; McHugh told reporters after the move that an MRI has already been performed and did not reveal any structural damage (link via the Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome). He’ll spend two or three days resting the arm before playing catch, and the 31-year-old (32 next month) believes he’s only in line for a brief stay on the IL. Any injury for a free-agent-to-be is at least somewhat notable, of course, and McHugh’s stock is particularly worth watching now that he’s been dropped from the rotation to the bullpen. Right-hander Brady Rodgers will return to the Majors for the first time since 2016 to replace McHugh in the bullpen. Rodgers, a third-rounder in 2012, has had a long road back from 2017 Tommy John surgery to post a solid 3.22 ERA in 44 2/3 innings in Triple-A so far.

More injury updates of note…

  • Athletics slugger Khris Davis exited tonight’s game after one plate appearance due to what the team announced to be “lingering effects from a left hip contusion suffered earlier this season.” It’s not clear if this’ll be another day-to-day situation for Davis or whether he might finally require a trip to the injured list to allow what has been a long-nagging injury time to heal up. Davis, king of the .247 batting average, is remarkably just a hair off that number, hitting .248/.318/.497 with a dozen homers through 179 plate appearances after making an out in the one at-bat he did have Tuesday.
  • A right elbow impingement has landed Blue Jays righty Ryan Tepera on the 10-day injured list, per an announcement from the team. Right-hander Jimmy Cordero is up from Triple-A Buffalo in his place. The outlook on Tepera is of at least some concern, as Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi tweets that Tepera says he’s been unable to get the proper level of extension on his release of his pitches. He’s headed to see a specialist for further evaluation. The 31-year-old Tepera had quietly emerged as a very solid setup piece for the Jays over the past few seasons but has been torched for a 6.55 ERA with nine strikeouts against six walks (two intentional) through 11 innings this season. His average fastball has dipped from 95 mph in 2017-18 to 93.7 mph this season. A healthy Tepera would make for a nice trade chip for the Jays this summer, given that he’s controlled through 2021, so his diagnosis and recovery timetable are well worth monitoring despite the fact that the Jays are on pace for nearly 100 losses.
  • Rays catcher Mike Zunino feels he’s making good progress on his return from a quad strain, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Zunino, who was given a four- to six-week recovery timeline is optimistic that he can return toward the front end of that projection. That’s welcome news for a Rays organization that has cycled through various combinations of Nick Ciuffo, Anthony Bemboom, Travis d’Arnaud and Erik Kratz since seeing both Zunino and Michael Perez land on the injured list. Both d’Arnaud and Kratz were trade acquisitions prompted by the loss of the organization’s top two catchers. Once Zunino and/or Perez is ready to return, there’ll likely be further roster juggling.
  • Lefty Zach Duke was placed on the injured list by the Reds due to a calf strain earlier today. Cincinnati will operate with a slightly shorter ’pen for at least a day or two, as they recalled infielder Josh VanMeter in his place. The Reds still have a pair of lefties in the bullpen in Amir Garrett and Wandy Peralta. For Duke, who inked a one-year deal worth $2MM this offseason, the trip to the IL could give him an opportunity for a mental breather on the heels of an ugly start to the year. Through 15 2/3 innings, the 36-year-old Duke has a 6.32 ERA with more walks (11) than strikeouts (9). Duke’s ground-ball rate, which sat at a hefty 59.4 percent in 2018, is down to 49 percent to begin the year.
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Cincinnati Reds Collin McHugh Houston Astros Khris Davis Mike Zunino Notes Oakland Athletics Ryan Tepera Tampa Bay Rays Toronto Blue Jays Zach Duke

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Rays Place Mike Zunino On IL, Select Anthony Bemboom

By Steve Adams | May 10, 2019 at 9:35am CDT

The Rays announced that they’ve placed catcher Mike Zunino on the 10-day injured list due to a left quad strain and selected the contract of fellow backstop Anthony Bemboom. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times first reported that the move was coming and suggests that Zunino will be out about three weeks (Twitter links). Tampa Bay also activated Austin Meadows from the IL, as expected.

Tampa Bay has now lost its top two catchers in the span of 48 hours. Michael Perez was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday morning due to oblique tightness and replaced on the active roster by Nick Ciuffo, who’ll now serve as the Rays’ primary catcher for the time being. Ciuffo, a 2013 first-round pick, has yet to establish himself as much of an offensive option in Triple-A, where he’s hit .236/.272/.347 in 316 career plate appearances. He does control the running game quite well — 42 percent caught-stealing rate in his minor league career — and graded out as an above-average pitch framer in 2018, per Baseball Prospectus.

Bemboom, 29, has only played in eight games this season himself thanks to injuries of his own. An eight-year minor league veteran, he’s in his first season with the Rays organization having previously spent six years in the Halos’ minor leagues ranks as well as the 2018 season in the Rockies’ system. Bemboom is a career .249/.344/.382 hitter in Triple-A and carries a 31 percent caught-stealing rate since being drafted in the 22nd round back in 2012. He posted above-average marks in pitch framing in each of the past two seasons, as well.

Certainly, it’s not an ideal pairing of catchers for a first-place club. As noted Wednesday at the time of the injury, though, there’s not much in the way of readily available veteran help. Perhaps they’ll explore the market for a short-term backup option, but it’s unlikely that the trade market at this stage of the season would yield anyone who can be reasonably expected to provide more offense than Ciuffo.

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Rays Place Michael Perez On IL; Mike Zunino Dealing With Quad Issue

By Steve Adams | May 8, 2019 at 8:04pm CDT

It’s been a rough 24 hours for the Rays’ catching tandem, as Michael Perez was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right oblique tightness while Mike Zunino exited Wednesday’s game due to a tight left quadriceps. Tampa Bay had recalled Nick Ciuffo from Triple-A Durham prior to the game, so he was able to step in for Zunino late in today’s game.

But, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times points out, Zunino, Perez and Ciuffo are the only three catchers on the Rays’ 40-man roster. With Perez out and Zunino ailing, there’s little in the way of depth on which to call. And, if Zunino ultimately proves to require a stint on the injured list, the situation will be exacerbated, even if only for a short period of time. Topkin suggests that 29-year-old Anthony Bemboom could be added to the 40-man roster if a need arises, but he’s only played eight games in the minors this year since returning from his own injury.

In terms of readily available help outside the organization, there simply isn’t much available. While veteran catchers Travis d’Arnaud, Drew Butera and Jesus Sucre all lost their roster spots recently, none is available on the open market or waivers. The Dodgers signed d’Arnaud after he was released by the Mets, while both Butera (Rockies) and Sucre (Orioles) accepted outright assignments with the clubs that designated them for assignment. Tampa Bay is as active as nearly any club on the trade market, so perhaps they’d swing a deal for a short-term veteran stopgap should Zunino require an absence of any note.

The Rays are off on Thursday, and Zunino will undergo further testing tomorrow with the hope that he won’t need to miss much (or any) time. If he needs to sit out for even a few games, it seems likely the Rays will have a 40-man roster move in the works in the near future.

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Players Avoiding Arbitration: American League

By Steve Adams,George Miller,Jeff Todd,TC Zencka and Ty Bradley | January 12, 2019 at 2:19pm CDT

The deadline for players and teams to exchange arbitration figures passed at 1pm ET yesterday, meaning over the next few hours, there will be a landslide of settlements on one-year deals to avoid an arbitration hearing. We’ll track today’s minor settlements from the American League in this post. Once all of the day’s settlements have filtered in, I’ll organize them by division to make them a bit easier to parse.

It’s worth mentioning that the vast majority of teams have adopted a “file and trial” approach to arbitration, meaning that once arbitration figures are exchanged with a player, negotiations on a one-year deal will cease. The two parties may still discuss a multi-year deal after that point, but the majority of players who exchange figures with their team today will head to an arbitration hearing.

As always, all salary projections referenced within this post are courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz, and we’ll also be updating our 2019 Arbitration Tracker throughout the day…

Today’s Updates

  • Yankees 1B Greg Bird will make $1.2 MM next season, per Bob Nightengale on Twitter.
  • The controversial Roberto Osuna will make $6.5MM next season, per Feinsand. Teammate Jake Marisnick, who again scuffled in ’18 after a promising 2017, will make $2.2125MM.
  • Per Mark Feinsand on Twitter, A’s lefty Sean Manaea $3.15MM in what’s sure to be an injury-marred 2019.
  • Hard-throwing reliever Mychal Givens will make $2.15MM, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter), with additional incentives for making the All-Star team or placing in the Top-3 for the Rivera/Hoffman Reliever of the Year Awards, added MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter).
  • The Mariners agreed on a $1.95MM deal with outfielder Domingo Santana, per MLB.com’s Greg Johns (via Twitter). Santana is the second and last of the Mariners’ arbitration-eligible players.
  • The Angels agreed to contracts with a pair of players yesterday, per Maria Torres of the LA Times (via Twitter). Reliever Hansel Robles signed for $1.4MM. Robles threw 36 1/3 innings of 2.97 ERA baseball after the Angels claimed him off waivers from the Mets in June. Luis Garcia, acquired via trade from the Phillies this winter, signed for $1.675MM.
  • The Tigers and reliever Shane Greene settled on $4MM, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (via Twitter).
  • The Yankees reached an agreement with Sonny Gray for $7.5MM, per Nightengale. Gray, of course, has been involved trade rumors most of the winter, but for the time being, he stands to play a role in the Yankee pen while providing insurance for the rotation.
  • Didi Gregorius has also come to an agreement with the Yankees on a one-year, $11.75MM deal in his final season before free agency, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (Twitter links).
  • New Yankee James Paxton signed for $8.575, per Nightengale (via Twitter). Paxton is under contract for the 2020 season as well.
  • The Houston Astros came to an agreement with Collin McHugh for $5.8MM, per Nightengale (via Twitter). McHugh could be moving back into the rotation after a stellar season in the pen, either way this will be his final season of arb eligibility before hitting the open market.
  • Jonathan Villar comes away with $4.825MM for what will be his first full season in Baltimore, per Nightengale (via Twitter).

Earlier Updates

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  • Among other deals, the White Sox have struck deals to pay Carlos Rodon $4.2MM and Yolmer Sanchez $4.625MM, per MLB.com’s Scott Merkin (via Twitter).
  • In his second season of eligibility, outfielder Randal Grichuk has a $5MM deal with the Blue Jays, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca tweets. Righty Aaron Sanchez receives $3.9MM and outfielder Kevin Pillar gets $5.8MM, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith adds (Twitter links).
  • Angels righty Cam Bedrosian is slated to earn $1.75MM, J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group (via Twitter).
  • The Rangers have deals with outfielders Nomar Mazara ($3.3MM) and Delino DeShields ($1.4MM), Levi Weaver of The Athletic tweets.
  • Power righty Dellin Betances is in agreement on a $7.125MM deal with the Yankees in his final season of arb eligibility, Sweeny Murti of WFAN tweets.
  • The Tigers have avoided arbitration with outfielder Nicholas Castellanos, according to Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). It’s a $9.95MM deal. Castellanos had projected for $11.3MM.
  • The Twins will pay starter Kyle Gibson $8.125MM, per Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (Twitter link). Outfielder Eddie Rosario gets $4.19MM, per LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune (via Twitter), while lefty Taylor Rogers takes home $1.525MM as a Super Two, Murray tweets.
  • The Athletics have agreed with shortstop Marcus Semien a $5.9MM deal, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter). Fellow infielder Jurickson Profar will receive $3.6MM, Robert Murray of The Athletic tweets.
  • Newly acquired righty Alex Colome will earn $7.325MM with the White Sox, Nightengale also tweets.
  • Righty Brad Peacock gets $3.11MM from the Astros, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Fellow right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. will earn $4.1MM, Mark Berman of FOX 26 tweets, though he’ll miss all of the 2019 campaign due to Tommy John surgery. A third Houston righty, Will Harris, settled at $4.225MM, per MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart (Twitter link).
  • The Red Sox have agreed to a $2.475MM salary with catcher Sandy Leon, according to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe (links to Twitter). Lefty Eduardo Rodriguez, meanwhile, is slated to earn $4.3MM while infielder Brock Holt takes down $3.575MM.
  • The Tigers have deals in place with a series of pitchers. Lefty Matthew Boyd will play on a $2.6MM salary in 2019, Robert Murray of The Athletic tweets. Lefty Daniel Norris gets $1.275MM, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press tweets. Fellow southpaw Blaine Hardy also has a deal, Fenech tweets, with MLB.com’s Jason Beck putting the price at $1.3MM (Twitter link).
  • Backstop Mike Zunino receives $4,412,500 from the Rays, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand tweets. Infielder Matt Duffy has agreed to a $2.675MM payday, Murray tweets.
  • The Blue Jays will pay righty Marcus Stroman $7.4MM for the upcoming season, per Nightengale (via Twitter).
  • While the Orioles have now reached deals with all of their eligible players, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (Twitter link), we don’t yet have salary terms. Dylan Bundy, Mychal Givens, and Jonathan Villar make up the arb class. Bundy takes down $2.8MM, per another Kubatko tweet.
  • The Angels have a $3.7MM deal for the 2019 season with lefty Tyler Skaggs, tweets Nightengale. He comes in $100K north of his $3.6MM projected salary and can be controlled for another two seasons before reaching free agency.
  • Miguel Sano and the Twins agreed to a $2.65MM salary with another $50K of plate appearance incentives, tweets Nightengale. Sano’s deal is $450K shy of his $3.1MM projection, and he can be controlled through the 2021 season.
  • The Rays and righty Chaz Roe settled on a one-year pact worth $1.275MM, tweets Murray. Roe, who’d been projected at $1.4MM, is arb-eligible for the first time and controlled through 2021.
  • Brandon Workman and the Red Sox settled at $1.15MM, tweets Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. The second-time-eligible righty is controlled through the 2020 campaign and had been projected at $1.4MM.
  • The Yankees and outfielder Aaron Hicks have agreed to a $6.0MM salary, tweets Nightengale. The deal comes in just short of his $6.2MM projection. The 29-year-old is entering his final season of arbitration eligibility before reaching free agency.
  • Blue Jays infielders Brandon Drury and Devon Travis have agreed to one-year deals worth $1.3MM and $1.925MM, respectively, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith and Jamie Campbell of Sportsnet (Twitter links). Each of the pair falls short of their respective $1.4MM and $2.4MM projections. Drury, a Super Two player, will be arbitration-eligible three more times and is controllable through 2022. Travis, meanwhile, has three-plus years of MLB service and is under team control through 2021.
  • The Twins and right-hander Jake Odorizzi have settled on a one-year deal worth $9.5MM, tweets Nightengale. Odorizzi, who is in his final year of arbitration eligibility before reaching free agency, receives slightly more than his $9.4MM projection.
  • Max Kepler and the Twins have reached an agreement on a $3.125MM salary, tweets Murray. A Super Two player, this is Kepler’s first season of arbitration eligibility. Coming in just under his $3.2MM projection, Kepler will remain under team control through 2022.
  • Mariners left-hander Roenis Elias has agreed to a one-year deal, tweets Greg Johns of MLB.com. Financial terms are not yet known. Elias, controllable through 2021, had been projected to earn $1.0MM.
  • The Astros and righty Ryan Pressly have settled on a $2.9MM salary, tweets Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle–slightly less than the projected $3.1MM figure. Pressly enters his last year of arbitration eligibility and can reach free agency as early as next winter.
  • Twins right-hander Trevor May has agreed to a one-year deal worth $900K, tweets Murray. This marks May’s second year of arbitration eligibility; he will remain under team control through 2020.
  • Closer Ken Giles and the Blue Jays have settled on a one-year, $6.3MM contract, tweets Nicholson-Smith. Projected to earn $6.6MM, Giles is in his second year of arbitration eligibility and is controllable through 2020.
  • Outfielder Byron Buxton and the Twins have agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.75MM, as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN first tweeted. Buxton, a Super Two player entering arbitration for the first time, had been projected to earn $1.2MM and will remain under team control through 2022.
  • Angels starters Andrew Heaney and Nick Tropeano have settled on one-year deals worth $3.4MM and $1.075MM, respectively, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Heaney’s 180 innings in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery helped him to top his $2.8MM projection handily. Tropeano had been projected at $1.5MM. Both pitchers have three-plus years of MLB service time and are controlled through 2021.
  • Yankees catcher Austin Romine agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.8MM, tweets Nightengale. The 30-year-old, who had been projected to earn $2MM, is entering his final season of club control before reaching free agency.
  • The Red Sox and Blake Swihart settled on a one-year deal worth $910K, tweets Murray. That checks in south of his $1.1MM projection. As a Super Two player who’s arbitration-eligible for the first time, Swihart will be arb-eligible three more times and is controlled through 2022.
  • The Blue Jays and Joe Biagini settled at $900K, tweets Murray, which lands just shy of his $1MM projection. Biagini barely qualified as a Super Two player this offseason and will be arb-eligible three more times. He’s controlled through 2022.
  • The Athletics and Mark Canha agreed on a one-year deal worth $2.05MM, tweets Robert Murray of The Athletic, landing just shy of his projected $2.1MM figure. With three-plus years of MLB service, Canha is in his first season of arbitration eligibility and is controllable through 2021.
  • Angels infielder Tommy La Stella settled with his new team at $1.35MM, tweets Murray. Projected to receive $1.2MM, La Stella is entering his penultimate season of team control before hitting free agency.
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Aaron Hicks Aaron Sanchez Alex Colome Andrew Heaney Austin Romine Baltimore Orioles Blaine Hardy Blake Swihart Boston Red Sox Brad Peacock Brandon Drury Brandon Workman Brock Holt Byron Buxton Cam Bedrosian Carlos Rodon Chaz Roe Chicago White Sox Collin McHugh Daniel Norris Delino DeShields Dellin Betances Detroit Tigers Devon Travis Didi Gregorius Dylan Bundy Eddie Rosario Eduardo Rodriguez Greg Bird Hansel Robles Houston Astros Jake Marisnick Jake Odorizzi James Paxton Joe Biagini Jonathan Villar Jurickson Profar Ken Giles Kevin Pillar Kyle Gibson Lance McCullers Jr. Los Angeles Angels Luis Garcia Marcus Semien Marcus Stroman Mark Canha Matt Boyd Matt Duffy Max Kepler Miguel Sano Mike Zunino Minnesota Twins Mychal Givens New York Mets New York Yankees Nick Castellanos Nick Tropeano Nomar Mazara Oakland Athletics Philadelphia Phillies Randal Grichuk Roberto Osuna Roenis Elias Ryan Pressly Sandy Leon Sean Manaea Seattle Mariners Shane Greene Sonny Gray Tampa Bay Rays Texas Rangers Tommy La Stella Toronto Blue Jays Transactions Trevor May Tyler Skaggs Will Harris Yolmer Sanchez

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