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MLB Suggests New CBA Would Need To Be In Place By End Of February To Begin Regular Season On Time; Parties Plan To Meet More Frequently

By Anthony Franco | February 17, 2022 at 10:59pm CDT

Last weekend, Major League Baseball made its most recent collective bargaining proposal to the MLB Players Association. Evan Drellich of the Athletic tweeted at the time that MLB had informed the union of what it viewed as the latest possible date to work out an agreement for the regular season to begin on March 31 as scheduled. This afternoon, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that date as February 28. In the league’s view, if no collective bargaining agreement is in place by the end of February, the regular season start date will have to be pushed back.

It’s not clear whether the MLBPA agrees with that assertion. Perhaps the union thinks a deal could be worked out a few days into March without interruption to the beginning of the season. Yet simple math dictates that a new CBA would need be in place within around two weeks to avoid a delay. Opening Day is scheduled for exactly six weeks from now. Teams will need time to conduct the remainder of their offseasons while players will need some exhibition play to work back into game shape. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said last week he viewed four weeks as an appropriate amount of time for Spring Training. Players had a three-week training period during 2020 Summer Camp, and Manfred suggested repeating that process would be insufficient.

MLB could also lift the lockout and allow the games to proceed in the absence of a new CBA. The league certainly isn’t going to take that course of action, though, leaving little time for an agreement if they’re to avoid delays. Manfred expressed optimism about that possibility last week, but the latest developments on the CBA front seem to leave little reason to believe there won’t be some form of delay.

In the week since Manfred met with the media, both MLB and the MLBPA have made one core economics proposal. Each party came away generally dissatisfied with the other’s offer, and the chances of them bridging the still-significant gaps within the next two weeks seem very slim.

With time dwindling, Jeff Passan of ESPN reports (on Twitter) that MLB and the MLBPA are planning to conduct multiple bargaining sessions next week, perhaps meeting every day beginning Monday. Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet hears (Twitter link) that MLB has expressed some willingness to move towards the union’s demands on the competitive balance tax and efforts to get players paid earlier in their careers.

Notably, Nicholson-Smith adds in a second tweet that the union has informed the league they’d be unlikely to agree to playoff expansion in 2022 if the regular season were shortened. Expanding the postseason is a key objective for MLB, which would stand to benefit greatly from the ability to market extra games to television partners. The league has sought a 14-team playoff, while the union has expressed a willingness to go to 12 teams. However, Nicholson-Smith’s report indicates there’s some chance the MLBPA will refuse to go beyond 10 postseason teams this year if any regular season games are lost, thereby costing players game checks.

Rockies Sign Zach Neal, Dillon Overton To Minors Deals

By Anthony Franco | February 17, 2022 at 10:08pm CDT

The Rockies have signed right-hander Zach Neal to a minor league contract, according to an announcement from his representatives at MSM (Twitter link). Colorado has also agreed to a minors deal with southpaw Dillon Overton, according to the team’s transactions log at MLB.com.

Coincidentally, both pitchers have logged their most significant MLB experience to date with the 2016 A’s. Neal tossed 70 innings over 24 appearances (including six starts) that year, working to a 4.24 ERA. That decent run prevention came with a complete dearth of strikeouts, though, as Neal fanned just 9.6% of batters faced. His lack of swing-and-miss caught up to him the following season, and the University of Oklahoma product worked 15 2/3 MLB frames between the A’s and Dodgers over the next two seasons.

Neal made the jump to Japan over the 2018-19 offseason, signing with the Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball. He’s spent the past three seasons there, posting a cumulative 4.49 ERA in 272 1/3 innings. Neal’s strikeout rate in Japan was still low (12.4%), but he only walked 5.6% of opponents. Neal also demonstrated elite control in his big league time (2% walk rate) and owns a 4.25 ERA over parts of five seasons at Triple-A.

Overton has 47 2/3 big league innings under his belt, appearing with the A’s, Mariners and Padres from 2016-17. He’s been tagged for a 9.13 ERA over that stretch, but he owns a 4.58 mark in four Triple-A campaigns. Also an OU graduate, Overton has a similar profile to that of Neal. He’s only punched out 12.1% of big league opponents but has a minuscule 4.8% career walk rate. The southpaw spent the 2021 campaign with the Rakuten Monkeys of Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League, pitching to a 3.75 ERA in 57 2/3 innings there.

An Under-The-Radar Free Agent Option For Teams Seeking Rotation Help

By Steve Adams | February 17, 2022 at 6:33pm CDT

The 2021-22 free agent market was highlighted by a historically talented group of shortstops, an unusually deep collection of starting pitchers and a good deal of power bats at the outfield and infield corners. This winter’s collection of free agents is the strongest in recent memory and quite likely the strongest we’ll see for a good while. Look ahead to the 2022-23 class, and while there are certainly a few star names, it pales in comparison to this year’s group.

With any deep free agent class, there are bound to be some names who slip through the cracks or simply don’t draw much in the way of appreciation or attention. We try to minimize this each offseason when ranking our Top 50 free agents and putting forth contract predictions, highlighting a handful of “honorable mentions” who seem likely to secure decent free-agent deals even though we’ve left them sitting outside the top 50. Even still, there’s usually a name or two we wind up wishing we’d considered more closely.

Of the non-top-50, non-honorable-mention free agents in this year’s class, former Cardinals lefty Kwang Hyun Kim fits that bill for me. A combination of age, lack of velocity and lack of bulk innings made us feel comfortable leaving him off the Top 50, but taking a retrospective look at his numbers, I’m not so sure that should’ve been the case. I’ve been asked a few times in recent chats here on MLBTR whether Kim was contemplating a return to the Korea Baseball Organization in light of the MLB lockout. My understanding is that he fully intends to continue on in the Majors and sign with a big league club whenever the transaction freeze lifts.

A very surface-level glance at Kim reveals a solid set of numbers. He’s pitched in 145 2/3 Major League innings, notched a 2.97 earned run average and kept the ball on the ground at a 48.1% clip. Kim doesn’t boast elite command, but his 8.4% walk rate is a bit better than the league-average 8.7%. He’s well below average in terms of strikeout rate (17.2% versus the league-average 23.2%), but the bottom-line results are there.

Had he remained healthier and worked a full season of innings, Kim would likely have a bit more buzz. That didn’t happen, however. He missed a portion of Spring Training and the first three weeks of the season due to a back injury — an issue that sent him to the injured list for another 10-day spell in mid-June. Kim later spent another two and a half weeks on the injured list owing to some elbow inflammation. It proved minor, but the Cardinals picked up a pair of veterans at the deadline (J.A. Happ and Jon Lester) and welcomed back several other injured starters while Kim was on the mend. He did not make a minor league rehab start despite pitching just once over a month-long period, and the Cards moved him to the bullpen when activating him in late August.

The other red flags on Kim were an 89.4 mph fastball and a sub-par strikeout rate led to questionable fielding-independent pitching marks; metrics like FIP (4.34), xERA (4.48), xFIP (4.70) and SIERA (4.85) all pegged Kim as more of a mid-4.00s type of pitcher. The sub-3.00 ERA he’s posted was clearly aided by an elite Cardinals defense, but he also created some of his own luck by limiting hard contact, keeping the ball on the ground and inducing pop-ups at an above-average rate.

Kim rates comfortably above average in terms of average exit velocity, hard-hit percentage and barrel percentage. He also has a penchant for surprising hitters, as his 18% called-strike rate tied him with names like Walker Buehler, Charlie Morton and Steven Matz for the 30th-best mark among the 145 starting pitchers who’ve pitched at least 100 innings since 2020. It’s not an elite figure, but possessing the command and deception needed to freeze opponents does help Kim to offset a below-average swinging-strike rate, to an extent.

In terms of platoon splits, Kim — like most lefties — is more susceptible to right-handed opponents than lefties. That said, it hasn’t been a glaring deficiency. Lefties have posted a putrid .164/.263/.224 slash against him in 133 plate appearances, while righties are at a relatively tepid .248/.310/.397 output. Kim has only fanned a tiny 14.6% of right-handed opponents against a hefty 26.3% of the lefties he’s faced, but his walk rate, ground-ball rate and pop-up rate are all actually much better against right-handed opponents.

Some clubs may be intrigued by Kim as a reliever, given that he’s dominated opponents the first trip through a batting order, yielding a lowly .192/.260/.314 batting line the first time facing a hitter on a given day. That spikes to .290/.354/.425 the second time through a lineup, which is an obvious concern. Then again, Kim’s opponents have hit just .184/.253/.316 in 83 plate appearances when facing him for a third time, so it’s not as though he’s incapable of turning a lineup over with any success. Realistically, that third-time-through-the-order split would likely regress in a larger sample, but it’s also fair to wonder whether that second-time split might improve with more opportunities.

So, to this point, Kim has been primarily a five-inning starter — he’s completed six frames in just eight of his 28 starts — with below-average strikeout capabilities but solid command and a knack for inducing weak contact. He’s struggled a bit the second time through the order, due in no small part to a notable drop in strikeout rate in such settings, but there’s at least some reason to believe he could improve upon that when looking at his third-time splits.

It’s not necessarily an exciting package that teams should be falling over to sign, but the other reason I’ve come to expect we’ll have been light on Kim’s market is simply by looking at how the market has valued other arms this winter. Jordan Lyles can be relied upon for some bulk innings, but his results (5.60 ERA), batted-ball profile and other peripherals are all more questionable than those of Kim. He still signed for a $7MM guarantee. Michael Wacha matched that guarantee despite a third straight sub-par season. Steven Matz and Nick Martinez both beat expectations with four-year contracts — the latter being a particular surprise. The Cubs had the No. 7 waiver priority this offseason and pounced to claim Wade Miley at a year and $10MM. Miley provides more innings, but he’s two years older and, over the past few seasons, looks an awful lot like Kim on a per-inning basis.

Put more simply, it’s been a bull market for starting pitching help, and while Kim’s soft-tossing, weak-contact specialist profile isn’t necessarily a sexy one in the eyes of modern front offices, he’s managed to succeed with it to this point in his career. A team looking for a fairly steady fourth or fifth starter could do much worse than plugging in Kim for five to six innings every fifth day, and if I were reconsidering the remaining free agents on the market, I’d probably peg him for a two-year deal when the lockout lifts. Perhaps that simply won’t be in the cards — the middle class of free agents could be squeezed into some lackluster contract terms — but if he’s available on a one-year deal, it’d be a steal for the signing team.

The number of clubs still needing arms will work in the favor of Kim and other remaining free agents. The Mets still need a fifth starter, and the Mariners and Tigers are also on the hunt in that market. The Twins, Nationals and Rangers all have multiple rotation spots they’ll yet need to fill. The A’s might have a pair of starting jobs to fill, depending on their trade activity. The price tag on Kim shouldn’t be prohibitive one way or another, and the demand should get him a decent deal when all is said and done.

Admittedly, this a lengthier look than I’d normally take at a fourth starter type whose best-case scenario feels like a two-year deal. FanGraphs’ Ben Clemens predicted two years and $20MM back in November, and even after digging into Kim, I think I’m slightly lower than that figure. Still, for a pitcher who’s generated very little fanfare, Kim has a strong track record of results and, based on those first-trip-through-the-order splits, could at worst be deployed as a quality multi-inning reliever. He’ll likely prioritize a team with a clear rotation opening, which dampens the possibility of a Cardinals reunion, but there’s solid value to be had here.

Twins, Daniel Gossett Agree To Minor League Deal

By Anthony Franco | February 17, 2022 at 5:32pm CDT

The Twins have inked Daniel Gossett to a minor league contract, according to the team’s transactions log at MLB.com. It’s unclear whether the 29-year-old will receive an invitation to big league Spring Training.

Gossett appeared in the big leagues with the A’s between 2017-18. Oakland selected the right-hander in the second round out of Clemson in 2014, and he was ranked among their top 30 prospects in each of the three years preceding his debut. The bulk of Gossett’s MLB action came in his rookie season, when he made 18 starts and worked 91 1/3 innings. The South Carolina native made only five big league starts the following year and underwent Tommy John surgery that August.

Between his two big league seasons, Gossett posted a 5.91 ERA/4.90 SIERA over 115 2/3 frames. He demonstrated strong control (7.6% walk rate) but also didn’t miss many bats (16.3% strikeout percentage) and struggled significantly with the home run ball. The elbow procedure cost Gossett all of 2019, and he didn’t pitch in 2020 owing to the cancelation of the minor league season. He spent last year with the Red Sox’s Triple-A affiliate, posting a 4.22 ERA over 98 innings but with subpar strikeout and walk rates (19% and 10.8%, respectively).

The Twins have very little stability in their starting rotation at the moment. Bailey Ober earned a spot with a quality rookie showing, and Minnesota bought low on Dylan Bundy after a tough 2021 campaign. Top prospect Joe Ryan looks to have the inside track on a season-opening spot as well, but the Twins will likely have to add a couple starters whenever the lockout concludes. Having not pitched in the bigs since 2018, Gossett seems likelier to open the season with Triple-A St. Paul than to break camp with the big league club.

MLBPA Drops Push For Universal Two-Year Arbitration, Expands Pre-Arb Bonus Pool In Latest CBA Offer

By Mark Polishuk | February 17, 2022 at 4:47pm CDT

4:47 pm: MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes observes (on Twitter) that the union’s proposed Super Two expansion — had it been in effect this winter — would have gotten around 79 more players to their first year of arbitration. However, Dierkes notes that MLB seemingly remains unwilling to alter the existing Super Two setup in any form.

1:18 pm: Today’s collective bargaining meeting between representatives from the league and the MLB Players Association lasted only 15 minutes, though deputy commissioner Dan Halem and MLBPA chief negotiator Bruce Meyer continued speaking in a side meeting for about 20 minutes afterward (according to The Athletic’s Evan Drellich).

The session appeared to center around two new proposals put forward by the union, as per several reporters (including ESPN’s Jeff Passan and The Washington Post’s Chelsea Janes). The MLBPA had been looking to move the qualifying threshold for arbitration eligibility to two-plus years of service time rather than the current threshold of three-plus years plus all Super Two-eligible players. Now, the union has now dropped that demand and replaced it with a large increase in the number of players who would be eligible for Super Two status. In the previous CBA, the top 22 percent of players who had between two and three years of service time became Super Two-eligible, and thus eligible for a fourth year of salary arbitration — today’s proposal saw the MLBPA ask that 80 percent of players now qualify as Super Twos.

In addition, the union also actually increased the amount of the bonus pool it wants devoted to pre-arbitration players. Whereas the MLBPA began with a $105MM figure and lowered it to $100MM in subsequent talks with the owners, the union has now bumped that asking price up to $115MM. This number reflects the larger number of players that the MLBPA wants to be eligible for extra money in this bonus pool, with the union wanting the top 150 players as averaged by fWAR and bWAR. In the owners’ previous offer, the top 30 pre-arb players would be eligible for a $15MM bonus pool.

Whether these changes by the MLBPA constitute a significant move in MLB’s direction will, of course, lie in the eye of the beholder. Simply moving from all two+ players being arbitration eligible to 80% of them could move a large amount of money toward MLB, and likely is viewed by the players as a significant concession.

Given how the league has been adamantly against any changes to arbitration eligibility, the MLBPA’s request for such a big increase in Super Two eligibility is likely to be flatly denied. Where this might lead, however, is some increase in the Super Two threshold whatsoever. Even if the 80% number is viewed by MLB as an extreme ask, if the owners counter with a smaller increase, the two sides might eventually find some level of acceptable common ground between 22% and 80%.

Getting the league to budge even slightly off their position of not altering the arbitration eligibility would count as some level of a win for the union, as it would help achieve their goal of getting more money to players at an earlier point in their careers. It would also set impacted players up for more money through the arbitration process as a whole, given the larger number of players getting a fourth arb year and then subsequent raises in their other three arb years.

The increase in the bonus pool figure is tied to both the Super Two ask and that broader “get more money to more younger players” goal. Because that $115MM would now be spread over 150 players instead of $100MM over 30 players, more pre-arbitration players would get some extra cash. However, as observed by Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, this overall proposal from the union actually counts as a concession to the owners, since it would somewhat lower the bar for future arbitration cases in general.

The MLBPA did not alter their previous demands for increases to the luxury tax (to $245MM for the initial threshold) and to the minimum salary (to $775K), according to The Score’s Travis Sawchik. Beyond the 80% Super Two demand and the $115MM bonus pool, it doesn’t appear as if the union made any other changes from its previous offers — and as for today’s new proposal, the league “was not excited,” Janes tweets. It isn’t known when the two sides will next meet in regards to the bigger-picture economic issues or when MLB might counter the players’ current offer, though Janes reports that the league and MLBPA are slated to meet tomorrow to talk about non-economic issues.

Blue Jays “Very Interested” In Tyler Mahle Prior To Lockout

By Mark Polishuk | February 17, 2022 at 4:29pm CDT

4:29 pm: The Jays also had interest in Gray and Castillo before the lockout, tweets Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. That’s hardly a surprise, given that all three Cincinnati arms figure to draw plenty of attention from rival clubs whenever the transactions freeze ends.

12:51 pm: The Blue Jays had Tyler Mahle on their radar as a trade target before the lockout, as TSN’s Scott Mitchell hears from a source that the Jays “were very interested” in the Reds right-hander. The exact timing of the Jays’ interest isn’t specified, or whether or not the club may have moved on from big-ticket pitching acquisitions after signing Kevin Gausman.

Cincinnati GM Nick Krall began the offseason with a quick trade of catcher Tucker Barnhart to the Tigers, and followed that deal up with his now somewhat infamous statement that the Reds “must align our payroll to our resources and continue focusing on scouting and developing young talent from within our system.” Wade Miley (who had a $10MM club option for 2022) was then placed on waivers and claimed by the Cubs, thus sparking even more speculation about just how much payroll the Reds were looking to shed.

As such, players like Mahle, Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray, and many other veteran Reds players were immediately seen as trade candidates, even though Cincinnati didn’t make any other overt cost-cutting transactions before the lockout hit. As MLBTR’s Anthony Franco speculated last month, it could be that between the Barnhart/Miley moves and Nick Castellanos’ likely free agent departure, the Reds might have already gotten their finances in order. On top of that, the Reds were reportedly open to discussing Gray in trade talks but not either Mahle or Castillo.

This isn’t to say that the Reds wouldn’t at least listen if Toronto or another team came calling with a big offer, and if the Reds still had designs on contending in 2022, the Blue Jays could offer some combination of both young talent and big league-ready pieces. Cincinnati would likely only accept such a significant trade package for Mahle given that he is both controlled through the 2023 season and coming off the strongest of his five years in the majors.

The 27-year-old righty has been both durable (227 2/3 innings) and effective since the start of the 2020 season, posting a 3.72 ERA and a 28.3% strikeout rate, though Mahle’s 8.9% walk rate was below the league average. Mahle did have strong fastball spin rates in both seasons, and 2021 saw Mahle post far and away the best hard-hit ball rate of his career.

Mahle seems overqualified for a fourth or fifth starter role, yet that might be where he lines up in a Toronto rotation that also consists of Gausman, Jose Berrios, Hyun Jin Ryu, and Alek Manoah. Ross Stripling is penciled in as the fifth starter for the moment, though as Mitchell notes, Stripling “profiles better as a swingman and spot starter” than as a regular rotation member. Top prospect Nate Pearson is likely going to be on an innings limit after two injury-plagued seasons, so while a Pearson/Stripling combo isn’t bad on paper, the Jays might prefer to shift both pitchers into depth roles and cement their rotation by adding some sort of veteran starter, perhaps even one as accomplished as Mahle.

While it remains to be seen if Cincinnati will ultimately deal any of its three starters, the fact that all three may be available to some degree gives the Reds some leverage in talks. In that sense, the Jays aren’t only bidding against other teams interested in Mahle, but also against what other teams (like the Dodgers or Angels) might offer the Reds for Castillo and/or Gray. Given how aggressive Toronto GM Ross Atkins has been in searching out pitching options over the last few years, it is probably safe to assume that the Jays have also checked in on obtaining Castillo or Gray, though only the Blue Jays front office knows which Cincinnati starter is their chief target.

Eric Kay Convicted Of Drug Distribution Resulting In Death Of Tyler Skaggs

By Anthony Franco | February 17, 2022 at 3:47pm CDT

A Fort Worth jury has convicted former Angels communications director Eric Kay on charges of distributing fentanyl resulting in the death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs. Kay was also convicted on a charge of conspiracy with intent to distribute controlled substances (via T.J. Quinn of ESPN and Sam Blum of the Athletic).

Skaggs passed away on July 1, 2019 after a drug overdose. The jury determined beyond a reasonable doubt that Kay was responsible for supplying Skaggs with the drugs that led to his death, as well as that the distribution occurred in Texas (where the Angels were playing a road series against the Rangers).

Throughout the trial, five more former Angels players (C.J. Cron, Matt Harvey, Mike Morin, Cam Bedrosian and Blake Parker) testified they’d received opiates from Kay during their time in Anaheim. Harvey admitted he’d also supplied Percocet pills to Skaggs — for which he’s reportedly facing possible suspension by MLB — but the jury found that Kay had given Skaggs the drugs that resulted in his death.

Kay will return to court for sentencing on June 28. He faces a minimum of twenty years in prison.

Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2022

By Tim Dierkes | February 17, 2022 at 11:00am CDT

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

By Mark Polishuk | February 17, 2022 at 10:34am CDT

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

By Mark Polishuk | February 17, 2022 at 8:53am CDT

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]

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