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Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2022

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At some point, the MLB lockout will end and teams will be scrambling to address their arbitration eligible players.  We’ve updated this post, removing players no longer on 40-man rosters.  We’ve also moved traded players to the correct teams and added official service time as well as notes for pre-tender agreements.

Matt Swartz has created a model to project salaries for arbitration eligible players, which we’ve been publishing at MLB Trade Rumors for 11 years.

In the baseball industry, teams and agents determine arbitration salaries by identifying comparable players. To project the entire arbitration class in this way would take a massive amount of time and effort. So, Matt has developed an algorithm to project arbitration salaries that looks at the player’s playing time, position, role, and performance statistics while accounting for inflation. The performance of comparable players matters, but our system is not directly selecting comps for each individual player.

As a disclaimer, I should note that our projections are not to be used as a scorecard for the agent and team on an individual player level. A player doing better or worse than our projection isn’t indicative of anything. Our arbitration projections are created as a tool for our readers to get a general idea of a team’s payroll situation.

The Super Two cutoff is 2.116 in Major League service time.  The service time figures below are official.  We’ll make adjustments to any projection below the league minimum salary, once a new minimum is established.  Also, please note that contracts signed prior to the non-tender deadline aren’t generally considered to be normal arbitration comparables.

If you find MLBTR’s arbitration projections useful, please consider supporting us with a subscription.

Angels (3)

  • Max Stassi (5.049) – $2.7MM
  • Mike Mayers (4.020) – $2.2MM
  • Tyler Wade (3.088) – $700K

Astros (6)

  • Rafael Montero (5.138) – $3.1MM
  • Aledmys Diaz (5.100) – $4.0MM
  • Phil Maton (4.047) – $1.4MM
  • Ryne Stanek (4.038) – $2.1MM
  • Josh James (3.005) – $700K
  • Framber Valdez (2.163) – $3.2MM

Athletics (10)

  • Sean Manaea (5.157) – $10.2MM
  • Chris Bassitt (5.130) – $8.8MM
  • Chad Pinder (5.047) – $2.8MM.  Signed for $2.725MM prior to NT deadline
  • Matt Chapman (4.109) – $9.5MM
  • Matt Olson (4.103) – $12.0MM
  • Tony Kemp (4.098) – $2.2MM.  Signed for $2.25MM prior to NT deadline
  • Frankie Montas (4.015) – $5.2MM
  • Lou Trivino (3.163) – $2.9MM
  • Deolis Guerra (3.071) – $900K.  Signed for $815K prior to NT deadline
  • Ramon Laureano (3.014) – $2.8MM

Blue Jays (10)

  • Ross Stripling (5.115) – $4.4MM
  • Teoscar Hernandez (4.097) – $10.0MM
  • Adam Cimber (3.156) – $1.5MM
  • Trevor Richards (3.084) – $1.1MM
  • Ryan Borucki (3.066) – $800K
  • Danny Jansen (3.050) – $1.5MM
  • Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (2.157) – $7.9MM
  • Tim Mayza (2.156) – $1.2MM
  • Trent Thornton (2.150) – $900K
  • Cavan Biggio (2.129) – $1.7MM

Braves (10)

  • Adam Duvall (5.151) – $9.1MM
  • Dansby Swanson (5.047) – $10.1MM
  • Luke Jackson (5.019) – $3.8MM
  • Guillermo Heredia (4.112) – $1.6MM.  Signed for $1MM prior to NT deadline
  • A.J. Minter (3.154) – $2.1MM
  • Max Fried (3.148) – $7.1MM
  • Mike Soroka (3.146) – $2.8MM
  • Sean Newcomb (3.123) – $900K
  • Tyler Matzek (3.019) – $1.5MM
  • Austin Riley (2.138) – $4.3MM

Brewers (12)

  • Jace Peterson (5.142) – $1.3MM.  Signed for $1.825MM prior to NT deadline
  • Omar Narvaez (5.089) – $4.1MM
  • Hunter Renfroe (4.165) – $7.6MM
  • Brent Suter (4.161) – $2.3MM
  • Josh Hader (4.115) – $10.0MM
  • Brandon Woodruff (3.161) – $7.1MM
  • Willy Adames (3.105) – $4.0MM
  • Corbin Burnes (3.049) – $4.0MM
  • Eric Lauer (3.033) – $2.7MM
  • Jandel Gustave (3.027) – $800K.  Signed for $675K prior to NT deadline
  • Adrian Houser (3.010) – $2.3MM
  • Rowdy Tellez (3.004) – $1.9MM.  Signed for $1.94MM prior to NT deadline
  • Luis Urias (2.120) – $2.4MM

Cardinals (7)

  • Alex Reyes (4.056) – $3.3MM
  • Harrison Bader (4.030) – $3.7MM
  • Jack Flaherty (4.006) – $5.1MM
  • Jordan Hicks (4.000) – $1.0MM
  • Giovanny Gallegos (3.085) – $2.8MM
  • Dakota Hudson (3.066) – $1.7MM
  • Tyler O’Neill (3.059) – $3.5MM

Cubs (3)

  • Willson Contreras (5.108) – $8.7MM
  • Ian Happ (4.036) – $6.5MM
  • Harold Ramirez (2.124) – $1.6MM

Diamondbacks (7)

  • Luke Weaver (4.112) – $2.7MM
  • Noe Ramirez (4.083) – $1.8MM.  Signed for $1.25MM prior to NT deadline
  • Caleb Smith (4.078) – $2.1MM.  Signed for $2MM prior to NT deadline
  • Carson Kelly (3.161) – $3.0MM
  • Christian Walker (3.124) – $2.7MM
  • Jordan Luplow (3.112) – $1.5MM
  • J.B. Wendelken (3.028) – $900K.  Signed for $835K prior to NT deadline

Dodgers (4)

  • Trea Turner (5.135) – $19.8MM
  • Cody Bellinger (4.160) – $16.1MM.  Signed for $17MM prior to NT deadline
  • Julio Urias (4.117) – $8.8MM
  • Caleb Ferguson (3.093) – $700K

Giants (7)

  • Dominic Leone (5.168) – $1.5MM
  • Curt Casali (5.151) – $2.0MM
  • Darin Ruf (4.138) – $2.6MM
  • Jarlin Garcia (4.114) – $1.8MM.  Signed for $1.725MM prior to NT deadline
  • John Brebbia (4.078) – $1.0MM.  Signed for $837.5K prior to NT deadline
  • Austin Slater (3.147) – $2.0MM.  Signed for $1.85MM prior to NT deadline
  • Mike Yastrzemski (2.128) – $3.1MM

Guardians (7)

  • Austin Hedges (5.166) – $3.8MM
  • Amed Rosario (4.062) – $5.0MM
  • Franmil Reyes (3.115) – $4.4MM
  • Shane Bieber (3.097) – $4.8MM
  • Bradley Zimmer (3.077) – $1.5MM
  • Cal Quantrill (2.132) – $2.8MM
  • Josh Naylor (2.127) – $1.2MM

Mariners (10)

  • Adam Frazier (5.075) – $7.2MM
  • Mitch Haniger (5.048) – $8.5MM
  • Drew Steckenrider (4.094) – $2.1MM
  • Tom Murphy (4.092) – $1.7MM
  • J.P. Crawford (3.163) – $5.0MM
  • Diego Castillo (3.118) – $2.6MM
  • Paul Sewald (3.072) – $1.8MM
  • Casey Sadler (3.035) – $1.3MM.  Signed for $1.025MM prior to NT deadline
  • Dylan Moore (3.000) – $1.6MM
  • Luis Torrens (2.118) – $1.6MM

Marlins (10)

  • Jesus Aguilar (5.082) – $7.4MM
  • Richard Bleier (5.074) – $2.5MM
  • Joey Wendle (4.088) – $4.0MM
  • Garrett Cooper (4.053) – $3.0MM
  • Dylan Floro (4.053) – $2.4MM
  • Brian Anderson (4.031) – $4.5MM
  • Jacob Stallings (3.149) – $2.6MM
  • Elieser Hernandez (3.118) – $1.4MM
  • Pablo Lopez (3.093) – $2.5MM
  • Jon Berti (2.168) – $1.2MM

Mets (13)

  • Edwin Diaz (5.121) – $10.4MM
  • Seth Lugo (5.082) – $3.7MM
  • Miguel Castro (5.079) – $2.6MM
  • Brandon Nimmo (5.042) – $6.0MM
  • Trevor Williams (5.027) – $3.8MM
  • Dominic Smith (3.146) – $4.0MM
  • J.D. Davis (3.137) – $2.7MM
  • Tomas Nido (3.089) – $900K
  • Jeff McNeil (3.069) – $2.8MM
  • Joey Lucchesi (3.067) – $1.6MM
  • Drew Smith (3.034) – $900K
  • Pete Alonso (3.000) – $7.3MM
  • Luis Guillorme (2.167) – $700K

Nationals (8)

  • Josh Bell (5.053) – $10.0MM
  • Joe Ross (5.018) – $3.0MM
  • Juan Soto (3.134) – $16.2MM
  • Erick Fedde (3.099) – $1.9MM
  • Victor Robles (3.033) – $1.7MM
  • Austin Voth (2.127) – $1.0MM
  • Tanner Rainey (2.127) – $800K
  • Andrew Stevenson (2.127) – $900K.  Signed for $850K prior to NT deadline

Orioles (6)

  • Trey Mancini (5.015) – $7.9MM
  • Anthony Santander (3.162) – $3.7MM.  Signed for $3.15MM prior to NT deadline
  • Jorge Lopez (3.102) – $1.5MM.  Signed for $1.5MM prior to NT deadline
  • Paul Fry (3.075) – $1.1MM.  Signed for $850K prior to NT deadline
  • Tanner Scott (3.059) – $1.0MM
  • John Means (3.007) – $3.1MM

Padres (8)

  • Joe Musgrove (5.063) – $8.9MM
  • Dinelson Lamet (4.130) – $4.6MM
  • Emilio Pagan (4.091) – $2.3MM.  Signed for $2.3MM prior to NT deadline
  • Jorge Alfaro (4.083) – $2.7MM
  • Victor Caratini (4.051) – $2.1MM
  • Tim Hill (3.112) – $1.4MM.  Signed for $1.325MM prior to NT deadline
  • Austin Adams (3.015) – $1.0MM.  Signed for $925K prior to NT deadline
  • Chris Paddack (3.000) – $2.1MM

Phillies (4)

  • Zach Eflin (5.018) – $6.0MM
  • Jose Alvarado (4.088) – $1.9MM
  • Rhys Hoskins (4.053)  – $7.6MM
  • Seranthony Dominguez (3.131) – $800K.  Signed for $725K prior to NT deadline

Pirates (4)

  • Ben Gamel (5.029) – $2.9MM.  Signed for $1.8MM prior to NT deadline
  • Chris Stratton (4.100)  – $2.2MM
  • Kevin Newman (3.046) – $2.2MM
  • Bryan Reynolds (2.163) – $4.5MM

Rangers (4)

  • Isiah Kiner-Falefa (4.000) – $4.9MM
  • Willie Calhoun (3.033) – $1.6MM
  • Brett Martin (2.151) – $1.1MM
  • Taylor Hearn (2.140) – $1.1MM

Rays (14)

  • Matt Wisler (5.042) – $1.8MM
  • Manuel Margot (5.012) – $5.0MM
  • Tyler Glasnow (4.158) – $5.8MM
  • Ji-Man Choi (4.076) – $3.5MM.  Signed prior to NT deadline for $3.2MM
  • Ryan Yarbrough (3.147) – $4.4MM
  • Yonny Chirinos (3.137) – $1.2MM
  • Yandy Diaz (3.122) – $2.7MM
  • Austin Meadows (3.074) – $4.3MM
  • Andrew Kittredge (3.070) – $1.6MM
  • Jalen Beeks (3.070) – $600K
  • Francisco Mejia (3.062) – $1.5MM
  • Jeffrey Springs (3.055) – $1.0MM
  • Brett Phillips (3.013) – $1.2MM
  • Nick Anderson (3.000) – $900K

Red Sox (7)

  • Kevin Plawecki (5.167) – $2.0MM.  Signed for $2.25MM after NT deadline
  • Ryan Brasier (4.109) – $1.4MM.  Signed for $1.4MM prior to NT deadline
  • Rafael Devers (4.070) – $11.1MM
  • Nick Pivetta (3.166) – $3.2MM
  • Alex Verdugo (3.078) – $3.2MM
  • Christian Arroyo (3.036) – $1.1MM
  • Josh Taylor (2.121) – $1.1MM

Reds (10)

  • Tyler Naquin (5.033) – $3.6MM
  • Luis Cessa (4.131) – $1.6MM
  • Luis Castillo (4.101) – $7.6MM
  • Amir Garrett (4.099) – $2.2MM
  • Jesse Winker (4.080) – $6.8MM
  • Tyler Mahle (4.018) – $5.6MM
  • Kyle Farmer (3.129) – $2.2MM
  • Jeff Hoffman (3.105) – $1.1MM
  • Lucas Sims (3.014) – $1.2MM
  • Nick Senzel (2.150) – $1.1MM

Rockies (9)

  • Daniel Bard (5.103) – $4.8MM.  Signed for $4.4MM prior to NT deadline
  • Carlos Estevez (5.022) – $3.2MM
  • Kyle Freeland (4.144) – $7.0MM
  • Robert Stephenson (4.049) – $1.1MM
  • Raimel Tapia (4.020) – $3.9MM
  • Ryan McMahon (4.006) – $5.5MM
  • Garrett Hampson (3.030) – $1.8MM
  • Tyler Kinley (3.014) – $1.0MM.  Signed for $1.025MM prior to NT deadline
  • Peter Lambert (2.116) – $600K

Royals (7)

  • Andrew Benintendi (5.062) – $9.3MM
  • Adalberto Mondesi (4.088) – $3.2MM
  • Brad Keller (4.000) – $5.2MM
  • Cam Gallagher (3.106) – $900K
  • Scott Barlow (3.030) – $2.4MM
  • Ryan O’Hearn (3.002) – $1.4MM
  • Nicky Lopez (2.139) – $2.0MM

Tigers (8)

  • Michael Fulmer (5.157) – $5.1MM
  • Joe Jimenez (4.061) – $1.8MM
  • Jeimer Candelario (4.038) – $5.9MM
  • Jose Cisnero (4.020) – $1.9MM
  • Victor Reyes (3.075) – $1.3MM
  • Spencer Turnbull (3.020) – $1.8MM
  • Dustin Garneau (3.015) – $1.6MM
  • Harold Castro (2.141) – $1.5MM

Twins (6)

  • Taylor Rogers (5.145) – $6.7MM
  • Tyler Duffey (5.074) – $3.7MM.  Signed for $3.8MM prior to NT deadline
  • Mitch Garver (4.045) – $3.1MM
  • Caleb Thielbar (3.131) – $1.2MM.  Signed for $1.3MM prior to NT deadline
  • Jharel Cotton (3.052) – $1.2MM.  Signed for $700K prior to NT deadline
  • Luis Arraez (2.121) – $2.0MM

White Sox (3)

  • Lucas Giolito (4.080) – $7.9MM
  • Adam Engel (4.058) – $2.2MM
  • Reynaldo Lopez (4.004) – $2.8MM

Yankees (16)

  • Jameson Taillon (5.110) – $4.7MM
  • Joey Gallo (5.103) – $10.2MM
  • Gary Sanchez (5.086) – $7.9MM
  • Aaron Judge (5.051) – $17.1MM
  • Chad Green (5.050) – $4.1MM
  • Wandy Peralta (4.168) – $1.7MM
  • Jordan Montgomery (4.153) – $4.8MM
  • Gio Urshela (4.127) – $6.2MM.  Signed for $6.55MM prior to NT deadline
  • Luke Voit (3.169) – $5.4MM
  • Gleyber Torres (3.162) – $5.9MM
  • Miguel Andujar (3.117) – $1.7MM
  • Clay Holmes (3.031) – $1.0MM
  • Jonathan Loaisiga (3.022) – $1.7MM
  • Domingo German (3.017) – $2.1MM.  Signed for $1.75MM prior to NT deadline
  • Lucas Luetge (3.015) – $1.1MM.  Signed for $905K prior to NT deadline
  • Kyle Higashioka (3.005) – $1.2MM

The arbitration projections were originally published 10-11-21.  Additional information was added 2-17-22.

Phillies Notes: Stott, Mattingly, Player Development, Bench

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Bryson Stott is expected to make his MLB debut in 2022, with the Phillies hoping that the top prospect can provide some immediate help to a lineup that both has plenty of holes, and is in need of a youth infusion.  Stott has spent most of his two pro seasons at shortstop, but “if I have to move over [to another position], it is what it is,” Stott told NBC Sports’ Jim Salisbury and other reporters.  “I just want to do anything I can do to get to Philadelphia and help that city and that team win.  So whatever it may be, if it’s short or anywhere else, it’s obviously not up to me.”

Stott has also seen action at second and third base during his time in the minors, giving the Phillies some flexibility in determining both his eventual everyday role and what they might pursue roster-wise once the lockout is over.  Second baseman Jean Segura is entering the last year of his contract and third baseman Alec Bohm is looking to bounce back from a rough 2021, and might not stick at third base over the long term anyway.  It is also possible Stott might simply remain at shortstop, given how president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said back in October that incumbent Didi Gregorius wasn’t a guaranteed to even return in 2022, let alone remain the starting shortstop.  The Phillies will benefit from some extra time to monitor Stott during ongoing minor league minicamps and minor league spring camp next month, as Stott isn’t locked out since he isn’t yet on Philadelphia’s 40-man roster.

More from the City of Brotherly Love….

  • A breakout performance from Stott would be a nice win for a Phillies organization has had well-documented issues in drafting and developing players who eventually contribute at the big league level.  Newly-hired player development director Preston Mattingly has a lot of work ahead in turning things around, though Mattingly told MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki and other reporters that “our system’s a lot deeper than people give it credit….I’ve had the pleasure of seeing a bunch of other teams’ top guys, and I think the guys in our system stack up with those guys.  They don’t get the recognition that others do.”  In the first months of his tenure, Mattingly has prioritized improving communication within the organization and throughout the different levels of the minor leagues, focusing on making sure that “everybody has the same message when it goes from staff to players…getting everybody with a consistent message going in the same direction” and also that the players themselves are well-informed about the team’s plans.  As Mattingly put it, “it’s all a team effort, right?  The players, the staff — it’s a two-way street.  We got to work together; it’s their career, we’re trying to help them in any way possible.”
  • Bench depth and pinch-hitting are both areas of need for the Phillies to address after the lockout, as The Athletic’s Matt Gelb notes that the team got very little pop from their pinch-hitters in 2021.  The likely introduction of the universal DH will create the need for more position-player help, as Gelb indicates that the Phillies are going to rotate their everyday starters through the DH position rather than have a regular designated hitter.

Quick Hits: Free Agents, Goodrum, Zombro

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We have continued to see minor league signings even with the lockout still limiting most offseason business, though The Athletic’s Eno Sarris and Brittany Ghiroli note that the total number of minors contracts signed this winter is naturally much lower than usual compared to past offseasons.  While the lockout extends to MLBPA members, players on MLB contracts, and players on 40-man rosters, some players within these parameters are stuck in a strange middle ground, like Sam McWilliams.  Since the righty signed a Major League contract with the Mets last winter but hasn’t actually appeared in a big league game in his pro career, he is both locked out and not an official union member.

It isn’t known exactly how many players are in McWilliams’ status, which is part of the confusion shared over which players are exactly “covered” by the lockout regulations.  As a result, some offseason throwing showcases have had to stagger workout times (since MLB scouts aren’t permitted to even observe locked-out players) or even prevent some “covered” players from attending these showcases.  McWilliams and others might therefore have even more of an uphill battle in landing a contract during what is expected to be an absolute frenzy of transactions once the lockout is finally over.  [UPDATE: Ghiroli tweets that the MLBPA has adjusted its qualification standard for stipends to include McWilliams and other players in his situation]

More from around baseball…

  • Niko Goodrum is one of the many free agents still waiting to land his next contract, though the utilityman told The Detroit News’ Chris McCosky that he had plenty of interest prior to the lockout.  The Tigers outrighted Goodrum off their 40-man roster in mid-November and he chose to test the open market, saying “we had been in contact with 10 teams….Seven of them were looking to offer big-league deals.”  Goodrum’s multi-positional versatility would certainly make him a good fit on many rosters, even if his bat has fallen off over the last two seasons.  In 504 plate appearances in 2020-21, Goodrum hit only .203/.282/.350 — a significant dropoff from the .247/.319/.427 slash line he posted with Detroit over 964 PA in 2018-19.  Goodrum has no hard feelings towards the Tigers for parting ways, and is now just looking forward to his next big league opportunity.
  • Tyler Zombro is planning to attend the Rays’ minor league camp, and tells The Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin that “within the next month to two months, I certainly will be 100 percent” recovered from a skull fracture.  In a horrific incident during a Triple-A game last June, Zombro was hit in the head with a line drive, suffering both the fracture and a seizure on the mound.  After emergency surgery and a long recovery process, however, Zombro was given medical clearance by MLB last month and got back onto a mound for the first time since the injury.

CBA Negotiations Set To Resume Thursday

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Major League Baseball and the Player’s Association have scheduled a negotiation session for 1:00pm ET on Thursday in New York, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. For those keeping score at home, Nightengale adds that tomorrow’s meeting will be the sixth session between both parties to discuss the sport’s next CBA since MLB instituted baseball’s lockout 78 days ago.

As disheartening as the frequency of these negotiating sessions has been, it could be an encouraging sign that tomorrow’s session will take place just five days after the two sides last convened. Last Saturday’s meeting revealed some minor concessions but didn’t yield much cause for optimism, as it lasted less than an hour and left both sides some mix of “unimpressed” and “underwhelmed”.

One reason for last weekend’s uneventful session was a continued disparity between how each party would like to alter the Competitive Tax Threshold. MLB proposed the luxury tax threshold increase to $222MM by 2026, with disincentives that would likely stop teams from crossing that threshold. The Player’s Association meanwhile would like to see team spending incentivized, not punished, and have been seeking a new tax threshold ending at $273MM in 2026.

As large as that $51MM gap between each side’s tax threshold proposal may appear, it pales in comparison to the $85MM gap between exchanged bonus pool figures. A bonus pool funded by central revenues to reward high-performing, pre-arbitration players has been one concept already agreed to by both parties, though how much these players should be rewarded is clearly a divisive subject. The Player’s Association lowered their bonus pool number by $5MM to $100MM to be divided amongst pre-arb performers, while MLB raised their proposal from $10MM to $15MM.

Further discussed topics included a raise to the league minimum, limiting the amount of times players can be optioned in a single season, and changes in the signing process of drafted and international amateurs. Fortunately, there seems to be mutual amenability to adjusting all three of these topics in the next collective bargaining agreement. However, as we’ve seen with previously suggested CBA changes like implementing a universal DH, even when both sides generally agree on a subject it’s no slam dunk they’ll see eye to eye to the point of implementation.

As is often the case with negotiations it may only take one new concession to start a chain reaction of agreements that, in this case, will ultimately lead to a new CBA. For either side to concede much of anything, they’ll need to meet at the bargaining table. Tomorrow’s sit-down then is certainly a welcome sight for the droves of fans who are skeptical a new CBA can be reached in time for the season to begin when originally scheduled on March 31.

NL Notes: Giants, Chipper, Freeman, Cactus League

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With the implementation of a universal DH growing in likelihood, NBC Sports’ Alex Pavlovic took a look at how Gabe Kapler’s Giants might handle the new position after the lockout. Pavlovic extrapolates from the team’s usage of the DH position in interleague play and in 2020 that the team would prefer to use the DH spot as a chance to bolster the lineup’s offense, not to give a quasi-off day to a regular position player. Accordingly, the resurgent Darin Ruf could see his playing time increase as his defensive limitations have limited him from being a true mainstay in Kapler’s starting lineup card.

With plenty of payroll maneuverability and a few Kris Bryant and Buster Posey-sized holes in the lineup, however, the possibility remains that the Giants splurge on a big bat to take the lion’s share of DH reps. Pavlovic speculates that free agents Kyle Schwarber or Joc Pederson could slot into the new position, owing to their typically strong numbers with the platoon advantage and ties to the team’s top executives. Should the team pass on either left-handed hitter, as well as come up short on their Seiya Suzuki pursuit or a Bryant reunion, a right-handed power bat could be signed to claim the DH spot. Nelson Cruz and Nick Castellanos remain open-market options for a team looking to keep its strong offensive performance in 2021 going, with the benefit of the DH position negating the need for either to suit up in the spacious Oracle Park outfield.

Some more baseball news from around the league…

  • Braves Hall of Fame third baseman and friend of the site Chipper Jones appeared on the Dukes & Bell podcast to offer some input on fellow Brave Freddie Freeman’s prolonged stay on the free agent market. Jones posits that Freeman is “probably a little frustrated [an extension wasn’t reached] in Spring Training last year” and acknowledges (correctly) that non-Atlanta teams are courting the first baseman as well. Of note to Atlanta fans however is Chipper’s comment that he and Freeman have often talked about the latter’s place in Atlanta history, and how his potentially-retired number would slide between Atlanta icons Dale Murphy and Bobby Cox.
  • Count Arizona city managers as another group taking issue with baseball’s delayed start to spring training. Bill Shakin of the Los Angeles Times documents how the MLB lockout has negatively impacted the host cities of baseball’s Cactus League, who are already reeling from limited tourism revenue the past few years due to the pandemic. Sites like Camelback Ranch, the Dodgers’ $300MM spring training ballpark in Glendale, are leased out to MLB teams for $1 a year with the express understanding that teams will drive tourism in the area. Due to clauses in the lease agreements signed by teams however, a certain number of home games are required to be played during spring training without the incurrence of legal penalty. The language of these clauses meant that the pandemic and other “acts of God” spared teams from any legal recourse being taken by host cities in recent years, but teams falling short of that game threshold due to the avoidable, league-induced lockout may not provide the same protection. It seems unlikely for the Dodgers and a handful of other teams to be kicked out of their Cactus League homes, but a lawsuit from Arizona cities looking to recoup lost hospitality industry funds may soon be the next legal storyline for baseball fans to follow.

Report: Matt Harvey Facing Possible Suspension Related To Drug Distribution

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Free agent right-hander Matt Harvey testified yesterday during the ongoing trial of former Angels communications director Eric Kay, who is accused of distributing the drugs that led to the tragic 2019 death of Tyler Skaggs. On the stand, Harvey — who was granted immunity from criminal prosecution — admitted to providing Skaggs with Percocet pills shortly before Skaggs’ death.

An MLB official tells T.J. Quinn of ESPN that Harvey could face a suspension between 60 and 90 days for distributing controlled substances. MLB said in a statement that it will “conduct a comprehensive review of the potential violations of our drug program” after the conclusion of the trial. Kay’s defense team rested its case this afternoon. Closing arguments are scheduled to take place tomorrow morning, and it’s expected that jury deliberations will begin not long after.

The matter is further complicated by the ongoing MLB lockout. Quinn writes that the league cannot pursue discipline until after a new collective bargaining agreement is reached. The Joint Drug Agreement between the league and MLB Players Association has been suspended by the lockout, also resulting in a pause on drug testing (both for drugs of abuse and performance-enhancing substances) for MLBPA members.

Four other former members of the Angels also testified about opioid usage during Kay’s trial. C.J. Cron (now with the Rockies), Cam Bedrosian (on a minor league deal with the Phillies) and free agent Mike Morin testified yesterday, while free agent reliever Blake Parker took the stand this afternoon. All four players admitted to using drugs given to them by Kay, but only Harvey said he’d ever distributed drugs to anyone else. Quinn writes that the cases of Cron, Bedrosian, Morin and Parker are likely to be referred to a treatment board for the creation of a treatment program. Unless those players have previously been disciplined for drugs of abuse — referrals to the treatment board are not typically made public — they would not face the possibility of suspension.

MLB Is Trying To Trade Draft Pick Compensation For A Much Tougher Competitive Balance Tax

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In a recent article, I tried to make the point that MLB, in general, wants something resembling the status quo in these CBA negotiations.  But there’s one area where I was wrong and MLB’s proposals have been clearly worse than the status quo, and that’s the competitive balance tax.

Let’s look at how MLB’s proposed tax rates compare to the status quo from 2017-21.

MLB’s goal here is clear: make teams much less likely to exceed the base tax threshold at all.  However “soft” of a salary cap this was in the 2017-21, MLB is attempting to harden it.  These tax rates say, “If you go over the tax thresholds, we’re really going to make you pay.”

MLB doubled down on the goal of hardening the CBT as a cap by adding new draft pick penalties.  The status quo: any club that exceeds the second surcharge threshold ($250MM in 2021) would have its highest available selection in the next draft moved back ten spots.  If a team is set to pick in the top six, that is left alone and the second-rounder is moved back ten spots.

MLB’s latest offer is far more extreme than this: a team in the second tier (MLB proposes $234-254MM for 2022) entirely surrenders its second round pick, and a team in the third tier ($254MM+) forfeits its first round pick.

I don’t think anyone would argue with this: MLB’s current proposal is for a much more restrictive competitive balance tax, without even getting into the matter of the thresholds.  So, how would they defend it?  The answer is that MLB likely feels it’s proposing an even trade by eliminating draft pick compensation for signing free agents.

Every winter, somewhere between six and 20 players at the top of the free agency class receive a qualifying offer.  Under this system, the worst possible penalty for signing a qualified free agent is forfeiture of a second and fifth round pick and having your international bonus pool reduced by $1MM.    The Yankees, for example, made this sacrifice to sign Gerrit Cole.  MLB’s pitch may be that under their new CBT plan, teams would have forfeited fewer draft picks than they gave up to sign free agents during the most recent CBA (something I intend to explore).  I think that in MLB’s eyes, they are offering to transfer the burden that a certain number of players at the top of each free agent market bear under the qualifying offer system to the team level as a CBT penalty.

Elimination of the qualifying offer system would remove the Craig Kimbrel/Dallas Keuchel type situations, where those players waited until after the June draft to sign because of the drag caused by draft pick compensation.  It would also remove the dynamic where a player accepts a qualifying offer and ultimately earns less in his career as a result, like perhaps Neil Walker.

I would guess that the MLBPA doesn’t consider this an even trade whatsoever, and has likely told MLB as much.  The MLBPA likely takes major issue with drastically increased CBT penalties.  Consider Giants pitcher Alex Wood, who tweeted,”If penalties increase under the CBT/Luxury tax IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT THE THRESHOLD IS MY GOD. Make the threshold a billion dollars it doesn’t matter. Teams already don’t spend bc they use the current penalties as an excuse not to. Imagine if the penalties got worse. SMH.”

In a theoretical sense, I disagree with Alex.  One could argue that the thresholds matter more than the penalties, because more teams stop right before the base tax threshold than actually pay the tax.  In recent years, only two or three teams have typically paid the tax.  To take Alex’s example to the extreme, if the base tax threshold actually was a billion dollars, and the penalty for exceeding it was that the team needed to play defense with only eight players on the field at all times, the MLBPA should take that deal because the penalty is irrelevant if teams don’t exceed the base tax threshold.

However, there’s a slippery slope concern here on the side of the MLBPA.  History has shown us that once the players surrender something to MLB, it is very hard to claw any of it back.  Case in point, the players moved arbitration eligibility from three years to two in 1980 and gave that back in 1985.  Since then they’ve only managed to win back 22% of the 2+ class, and MLB is currently drawing a hard line on a return to the pre-1985 arbitration structure.

That’s why the MLBPA will likely draw their own hard line and refuse to further increase the tax rates or the draft pick penalty for exceeding tax thresholds.  That might be one of the MLBPA’s non-starter stances.  And if the MLBPA thinks elimination of the qualifying offer system is of modest value, keeping it in place would not be a major problem.

MLB should stop proposing this supposedly even trade.  It’s like in a fantasy baseball league where a guy keeps making you the same offer over and offer, telling you it’s fair.  It’s just not conducive to making a larger deal.

MLB should take increased CBT penalties off the table entirely, and should also propose leaving the qualifying offer system completely intact from the previous CBA.  That would be, literally, the status quo.  Then, with the clock ticking, the two sides can get down to solving the $51MM gulf between where they think the CBT thresholds should land by 2026.

Juan Soto Declined $350MM Extension Offer From Nationals Before Lockout

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The Nationals offered superstar outfielder Juan Soto a 13-year, $350MM contract extension before the start of the lockout, reports Enrique Rojas of ESPN (Spanish-language link). Soto confirmed the team made him a long-term offer but tells Rojas he and his agents at the Boras Corporation prefer to proceed year-by-year via arbitration. He remains under club control through 2024, giving him three more seasons before hitting the open market.

According to Rojas, the offer did not contain any deferrals and would have gone into effect for the upcoming season had Soto accepted. The Nats have deferred payments in many of their recent big-ticket signings. Each of Max Scherzer, Patrick Corbin and Stephen Strasburg, for instance, agreed to push a substantial portion of their earnings beyond the term of the contract. That reduced the present-day value of those deals, but the offer to Soto would not have had the same effect. The specific payout structure of the offer is unclear, but overall, it included an average annual value just south of $27MM through the 2034 campaign.

Some fans will surely bristle at the notion of Soto leaving $350MM on the table. It’s obviously a life-changing sum of money, and it’d have gone down as the third-largest guarantee (before accounting for inflation) in MLB history. However, a deeper look at Soto’s situation makes it unsurprising that wasn’t enough to forego the possibility of an even more lucrative payday down the line.

Soto already has a strong amount of financial security, lessening his incentive to forego future earning power for up-front payments. He reached arbitration early as a Super Two qualifier last offseason, eventually agreeing to an $8.5MM salary for 2021. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him to earn around $16.2MM during his second trip through the process this year. That’s nearly $25MM that Soto has all but already earned.

Assuming he continues to perform as one of the league’s best players, Soto will see significant jumps in each of his final two arbitration seasons. He could approach or top the $27MM per-year salary the Nationals offered on the extension by his final year of arbitration. Mookie Betts’ $27MM agreement over the 2020-21 offseason is the largest ever for an arbitration-eligible player, and Soto’s Super Two qualification gives him a higher jumping-off point for future earnings than Betts had at the time.

As another frame of reference, take the 14-year, $340MM extension Fernando Tatís Jr. signed with the Padres last February. Soto’s deal narrowly tops that marker, but he’s negotiating from a greater position of financial strength. Tatís was four years from free agency at the time he signed his extension; Soto is currently three years away. And Tatís had not qualified for Super Two, so he was still a season from his first significant arbitration payment. Soto, as mentioned, has already banked $8.5MM and is in line for nearly double that amount this year. If one viewed Soto and Tatís as similarly valuable players, it’s hardly surprising the former’s comparatively stronger negotiating position set him up to decline a guarantee $10MM north of Tatís’ deal.

One can argue about precisely where Soto fits in discussion for the greatest players in the sport, but there’s no doubt he’s among the top few. He’s been one of the game’s best hitters from the moment he debuted as a 19-year-old in May 2018. Soto’s offensive production has checked in at least 43 percentage points above the league average, by measure of wRC+, in all four of his MLB seasons. He’s particularly taken off over the past couple years, posting numbers that look like they’re from a video game.

Since the start of the 2020 season, Soto has hit .322/.471/.572 across 850 plate appearances. He’s walked in an absurd 21.9% of his trips while striking out just 14.2% of the time, showcasing the sport’s best strike zone awareness. Among qualified hitters, only defending NL MVP Bryce Harper (.426) has an OBP within 50 points of Soto’s mark. Soto trails just Trea Turner (.330) in batting average, while Tatís (.598) and Harper (.594) are the only two batters with better slugging figures.

Soto has done all this as an astoundingly young player. He turned 23 last October, setting himself up to reach free agency in advance of his age-26 campaign. Thus it’s no surprise he’s viewed by most as being on a path towards at least baseball’s first $400MM contract, and it’s plausible he could top $500MM on the open market. Scherzer topped the $40MM average annual value mark this winter (by a wide margin, at $43.33MM). A $40MM AAV over a 13-year term — which would “only” run through Soto’s age-38 season — would mean a $520MM guarantee, for instance.

There’s plenty of time before free agency comes into focus for Soto, but he and agent Scott Boras are no doubt keenly aware of the chance he has at setting contractual milestones. Soto told Rojas he still envisions himself spending his entire career in Washington, but it seems his current plan is to allow the next few seasons to play out in hopes of getting to the open market. After kicking off an organizational retool at last summer’s trade deadline, it remains to be seen how quickly the Nats plan to install another competitive roster around Soto in hopes of capturing their second World Series title of his tenure.

Orioles, Shed Long Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Orioles are in agreement with free agent second baseman Shed Long on a minor league contract, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN (Twitter link). Long was outrighted off the Mariners’ 40-man roster and elected minor league free agency at the end of the season, making him eligible to sign a non-roster deal during the lockout.

Long was a well-regarded prospect coming up in the Reds’ farm system. A left-handed power bat, he posted above-average offensive numbers up through Double-A. Most evaluators were never enamored with his defensive ability, but he looked like a possible bat-first regular at the keystone. The Mariners acquired Long over the 2019-20 offseason as part of the three-team trade that sent Sonny Gray from the Yankees to Cincinnati.

The following season, Long had a fairly promising debut showing. He hit .263/.333/.454 over his first 168 MLB plate appearances, albeit with unimpressive defensive marks and batted ball metrics. That was enough for Long to open the 2020 campaign as Seattle’s starting second baseman, but his past two seasons have been plagued by injury. He played for much of that season with a stress fracture in his right shin, eventually undergoing surgery in September.

Unfortunately, the procedure didn’t work as planned. Long continued to experience inflammation in the area in 2021, delaying his season debut until early June. He played for a bit more than a month, struggling to post serviceable numbers, before winding up back on the injured list in early August. Long spent the reason of last season on the shelf, and Seattle cut him loose at the end of the year.

Altogether, he owns just a .216/.284/.376 line over 417 MLB plate appearances. It seems fair to assume he hasn’t been completely healthy in either of the past two seasons, though, making this a reasonable flier for the O’s to take. Long is still just 26 years old, and he can be controlled for four seasons if he earns a spot on the roster and finds his stride at the plate.

There should be plenty of opportunity for him to do just that if he shows well in Spring Training. Rougned Odor is currently pencilled in as the second baseman in Baltimore. He’s coming off a third straight well below-average showing, so the O’s probably aren’t wedded to Odor playing on an everyday basis. Long also has some experience in left field and could compete for a spot as a multi-positional bench bat, although it seems unlikely he’d take much playing time from Austin Hays in the grass.

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