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Yankees “Showing Increased Interest” In Manny Machado

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11:07pm: The talks are still in an early stage, Eduardo Encina of Baltimore Sun reports. Though the Yankees haven’t made any offers, the club has expressed interest not only in Machado and rental relievers Zach Britton and Brad Brach, but also in controllable starter Kevin Gausman.

Machado himself bristled at the ongoing questions about his status after tonight’s game against the Yankees. When asked about the possibility of shifting back over to third, after assuming the shortstop job in Baltimore this year, Machado answered: “I’m a shortstop. I play shortstop.” (Via Marc Carig of The Athletic, on Twitter.) Of course, it’s probably best not to read too much into that statement, as Machado may simply have been fending off questions by referring to his current situation and in any event lacks trade protection.

9:29pm: There appears to be some mutual interest in considering package arrangements, per reports from Jon Heyman of Fancred and Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). In addition to weighing some of the O’s relievers, says Kubatko, the Yanks may have interest in Baltimore rotation pieces. Contemplating the possibility of the involvement of starting pitching makes this series of reports all the more fascinating. There are any number of imaginable permutations of package deals, though there’s no real hint at present as to what might be considered.

7:55pm: The Yankees are “showing increased interest” in acquiring Machado, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athetic (subscription link). It’s still not clear just how serious the Yanks are about such a move, but the report is intriguing nonetheless.

In some regards, to be sure, it’s a bit of an imperfect fit. Though we included the Yankees as a potential landing spot in a recent poll on Machado’s market, the Bronx Bombers didn’t rate as popular choice among respondents. While the club is unquestionably in position to add MLB talent, it has a much more obvious need in the rotation. And some would surely argue that there’s greater need for (and greater value to be found in) an upgrade at first base, where Greg Bird has not exactly thrived.

While Machado would upgrade any roster, the New York organization already features a quality shortstop in Didi Gregorius and a variety of other talented young infield options at second and third. Though breakout rookie Gleyber Torres is injured at present, there has been no indication that he’ll miss a lengthy stretch, so that doesn’t seem to represent a significant aspect of the increased interest.

As Rosenthal suggests, the likeliest motivation behind pursuit of Machado would be to install him at third base. The club could simply option Miguel Andujar for some additional seasoning. (Per the report, there’s reason to question that the promising youngster would be a part of a trade for Machado, which makes sense.) Andujar certainly has played well and has a bright future, but isn’t close Machado’s quality level at present.

There are other players to consider here, but none would get in the way of the pursuit of Machado. Indeed, Brandon Drury — who was just optioned back to Triple-A after the first of the Yanks’ two games today — might well be a trade chip, though there’s no firm indication of that to this point. Veteran switch-hitter Neil Walker would likely still fit on the roster regardless, so long as the club continues to show patience. (If not, the Yanks could utilize Andujar, Drury, and/or Tyler Wade in a reserve role as well.)

Part of the underlying reasoning here seems to be that the Yankees may struggle to upgrade as much as they’d like in the rotation. To be sure, the market is not shaping up to offer many compelling starters. Though the Yanks have plenty of pieces to chase a controllable hurler, it’s not yet clear whether the prices will be palatable enough to consider that route.

As things have shaped up in the American League, the Yankees and bitter-rival Red Sox have ample cause to seek all avenues for improvement. Settling for a Wild Card will, of course, mean a one-game series that could go in any direction. And the team that wins the play-in contest seems rather likely to face either the AL East champs or the defending World Series champion Astros in the divisional round. While the Indians are no cakewalk, they’ll likely be viewed as a somewhat less formidable foe.

Viewed broadly, then, the potential match is perhaps a bit more compelling than is evident at first glance. Whether other pieces of the Baltimore roster might be of interest to the Yankees is not yet known. It’s also not clear what trade pieces the Yanks would be willing to give that would pique the interest of the O’s sufficiently to pave the way for a trade of a mid-prime franchise legend to a division rival.

Clearly, this news doesn’t mean that the Yankees are the new favorites to land Machado. Reports from earlier today tabbed the Dodgers and Brewers as the most aggressive teams at the moment, and that seems still to be the case — with other organizations still also looking like plausible suitors as well. But the involvement of the Yankees shows that it’s still an open bidding situation with many possible outcomes. Whether or not the Orioles can leverage the broad demand into a significant return remains to be seen, but it’s clear that multiple contending organizations view Machado as a real potential difference-maker.

AL East Notes: JDM, Red Sox, Cobb, Gausman, Hicks

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In an interesting look back at recent history, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com explores the Red Sox’ decision-making process on finding a big bat over the just-concluded offseason. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski says the organization zeroed in from the outset on J.D. Martinez, despite knowing it could take a big salary to get a deal done. Giancarlo Stanton’s no-trade rights mostly took him out of consideration, says Dombrowski, while Marcell Ozuna came with too high a prospect price tag — reflecting his value as an outfielder, not just a DH, which was the Sox’ primary need.

Here’s more from the AL East:

  • Red Sox top prospects Jay Groome and Michael Chavis will open the season on the disabled list, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. Groome, 19, is dealing with a mild flexor strain that is similar to the injury that hampered him in 2017, though farm director Ben Crockett tells Speier that the injury isn’t serious in nature, calling it “pretty mild overall” and noting that Groome has already been symptom-free for “several days.” Chavis, 22, is dealing with an oblique strain that he suffered back in February. He’s begun swinging a bat, however, and could get into extended spring games next week.
  • Alex Cobb is nearing readiness to join the Orioles, Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun writes. It seems likely he’ll take the ball on Monday, though that won’t be finalized until the weekend. Baltimore skipper Buck Showalter said the club is mostly allowing Cobb to drive the process while understandably preferring to “err on the side of caution.” Trusting the veteran hurler but maintaining a conservative approach seems wise given Cobb’s health history and the team’s $57MM investment.
  • Orioles fans will certainly also want to check out this lengthy chat between righty Kevin Gausman and the Sun’s Jon Meoli. The talented 27-year-old has not quite turned the corner to being a front-line starter, despite showing hints of it at times. He’s now entering an important season in which he’ll try to bounce back from a messy 2017 showing in advance of his final two arb-eligible campaigns. Likewise, VP of baseball ops Brady Anderson recently joined the podcast of MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. He discussed how his history as a player helped spur his current career, as he began his post-playing involvement in the game by helping his former teammates. Though he’s hardly the only former player with a prominent executive role, Anderson is somewhat unusual in that he still gets down on the field quite a bit.
  • Aaron Hicks is confident that he can return to the active roster in time for the Yankees’ upcoming series against the Red Sox, which begins next Tuesday, writes MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. Beyond that, while recently claimed Trayce Thompson is initially reporting to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, skipper Aaron Boone tells Hoch that the optional assignment “doesn’t mean he won’t become an option very soon.”

Injury Notes: Gurriel, Frazier, Gausman, Stroman, Thornburg, Eaton

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The Astros have shipped first baseman Yuli Gurriel to Houston so his injured hand can be evaluated, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports (Twitter link). At this point, the situation is more or less a mystery, with no real indication how the issue arose or just what the club is concerned about. Clearly, though, the team’s training staff has found cause to get a closer look from a specialist.

Here’s more on some injury situations from around the game:

  • Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier has been diagnosed with a concussion, tweets MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. Frazier made a leaping catch in yesterday’s Grapefruit League game against the Pirates and stumbled a bit before falling backwards and hitting his head against the base of the left-field wall (video link). Manager Aaron Boone said Frazier will be down for “a few days” and acknowledged the seemingly optimistic nature of that timeline. Frazier is far from a lock to make the Opening Day roster in New York with Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge and Jacoby Ellsbury all on the roster, but he remains a key potential long-term piece for the Yanks.
  • It seems that Orioles righty Kevin Gausman has largely shaken off a home-plate collision yesterday, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com writes. The young starter, who is a key factor in the team’s hopes for the coming season, says he “feel[s] pretty good” on the whole despite slamming into Tigers youngster Jeimer Candelario. For the time being, at least, Gausman is expected to take the ball for his next scheduled spring outing.
  • The outlook is at least a bit more worrisome for Blue Jays righty Marcus Stroman. Per MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm, shoulder inflammation is holding Stroman back. Though he has already been cleared by an MRI of structural concerns, Stroman will rest up in hopes of moving past a problem that has evidently been going on for a few weeks. The key Jays hurler says he’s hoping to be fully ramped up for “the very beginning of the start of the season,” even if it’s not Opening Day, though surely the organization will proceed with caution.
  • The Red Sox will welcome reliever Tyler Thornburg back to the hill for the first time since he underwent surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reports on Twitter. A bullpen session is just one of many steps back, of course, and Thornburg still has some hurdles to clear. He has yet to pitch competitively for the Boston organization (excepting brief spring action last year) since coming over in a trade in advance of the 2017 season.
  • Indications are that Nationals outfielder Adam Eaton is largely progressing well after a long layoff for a torn ACL. As Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com writes, though, Eaton has yet to appear in game action. That appears to be less a reflection of Eaton’s surgically repaired joint than it is a planned effort to build him up deliberately. “We’re going to take it and be methodical and do it right for the first time and make sure I’m overcooked, so to speak, before I go out there.” While it’s surely tempting to max out Eaton’s reps after a lost season, skipper Davey Martinez emphasized the primary goal is to have Eaton at full speed come Opening Day.
  • The rival Mets are reporting shoulder and back soreness for Yoenis Cespedes and Jacob deGrom, respectively, but those don’t seem to be real concerns at this point, as MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reports. However, the New York organization is likely to hold back first baseman Dominic Smith for a while after he was diagnosed with a strained quad. He already seemed to face a difficult task of cracking the Opening Day roster, so this setback is not likely to help the cause. (New reliever Anthony Swarzak just left his relief appearance with an apparent calf injury, as Mike Puma of the New York Post was among those to tweet, though details are sparse at this time.)

Orioles Avoid Arbitration With Kevin Gausman

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The Orioles have avoided arbitration with righty Kevin Gausman, per a team announcement. He will earn $5.6MM for the coming season, per Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).

As MLBTR’s 2018 MLB Arbitration Tracker shows, Gausman had been the last remaining Orioles arb agreement to be hammered out. The sides had been scheduled for a hearing tomorrow, with Gausman set to seek $6.225MM and the club countering with a $5.3MM price tag.

Rather than trudge out of camp to go before a panel, Gausman and the O’s have settled their differences. He had projected at a lofty $6.8MM after earning $3.45MM as a Super Two last year, but clearly neither player nor team thought that was a realistic price point.

While the 27-year-old did complete a career-high 186 2/3 innings in 2017, the results failed to match his output from the season prior. He ended up with a 4.68 ERA and 8.6 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9.

AL East Notes: Beltran, Rays, Yankees, Orioles

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Just-retired slugger Carlos Beltran turned down a front office role with the Yankees earlier this offseason, reports The Athletic’s Marc Carig (subscription link). Beltran says that only a managerial position would’ve dissuaded him from his plan to take at least a year off from the game after retiring as a player, but he would consider other roles in the future. Carig chronicles Beltran’s indoctrination to the business side of baseball, which began back in a 2003 arbitration hearing with the Royals. Now, Beltran draws praise from executives like Cashman and field staff like Astros manager A.J. Hinch, who both effused praise for Beltran’s baseball acumen and future in the game in interviews with Carig.

Elsewhere in the AL East…

  • Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times examines some of the many open questions facing the Rays as camp opens. He says the organization is still “working hard through the spring thaw” to work out trades that will draw down payroll. Interestingly, that could come through some kind of swap that includes not only a pitcher but also a more expensive position player, says Topkin, who suggests that Corey Dickerson or Denard Span could be moved along with righty Jake Odorizzi. That concept seemingly increases the variety of potential outcomes that one might imagine, though it doesn’t help provide much clarity to an overall market situation that remains largely unresolved as camps open.
  • The Orioles have discussed the possibility of a non-roster invitation to Spring Training for Pedro Alvarez, Michael Bourn, Colby Rasmus and Michael Saunders within the past week, according to Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. It’s a bargain-hunter’s collection of names, considering the fact that higher-profile left-handed bats such as Logan Morrison, Carlos Gonzalez, Jon Jay and Jarrod Dyson remain available in free agency. (Morrison, of course, isn’t an outfielder at this point in his career, though the same is true of Alvarez.) The O’s have been interested in Rasmus and Saunders in prior offseasons, Encina notes, though it’s not clear what Rasmus’ plans are at present. The veteran outfielder stepped away from the game for personal reasons last July, and there hasn’t been much mention of him this winter.
  • While he still expects the Orioles to acquire at least one starter via trade or free agency, Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com also indicates that he expects right-hander Mike Wright to get another opportunity to prove himself in the rotation in April. The 28-year-old Wright is out of minor league options, Connolly notes, adding that the Orioles do not want to give up on Wright despite a lack of results in the Majors. Wright has a paltry 5.86 ERA, 5.46 FIP and 5.16 xFIP in 144 2/3 big league innings, but he’s been considerably better in Triple-A, where he owns a lifetime 3.53 ERA in 389 2/3 frames — including a flat 3.00 ERA in 240 1/3 innings across the past three seasons.
  • Beyond all the other uncertainties permeating the game this spring, there are still a fair number of unresolved arbitration cases, as our 2018 MLB Arbitration Tracker shows. As Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca notes on Twitter, Blue Jays righty Marcus Stroman had his hearing yesterday, though results aren’t yet known. Meanwhile, Orioles starter Kevin Gausman is still hoping to work something out rather than heading for a hearing tomorrow, as Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets.

Quick Hits: Spring Training, Arb Hearings, Werth, Rodgers

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Unrest on the players’ side of the fence in a dismally slow offseason reached the point where player reps in the union asked if whether it was viable for even those who have signed contracts to collectively refuse to report to Spring Training until Feb. 24, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required). That represents the mandatory reporting date, though pitchers and catchers (and some others) will report to camp prior to that date in a given year. The MLBPA informed those representatives that doing so would violate the CBA and constitute an “unlawful strike,” prompting the notion to be dropped. The very thought further illustrates the overall discontent of players, Rosenthal notes, and that general level of frustration doesn’t help matters as the league and union continue to negotiate the implementation of pace-of-play measures.

Some other notes from around the game…

  • In addition to Ken Giles, whose arbitration hearing took place yesterday, we should soon learn the results on a pair of arb hearings from the Marlins. FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweeted recently that J.T. Realmuto’s arb hearing was on Jan. 31, while Justin Bour’s was slated for Feb. 1. Giles and the Astros filed at $4.6MM and $4.2MM, respectively. Meanwhile, the Marlins filed at $2.9MM and $3MM for Realmuto and Bour, while that duo countered with respective figures of $3.5MM and $3.4MM (all of which can be seen in MLBTR’s 2018 Arbitration Tracker). Heyman also noted that Dan Straily’s hearing is set for Feb. 14, and Luke Jones of WSNT.net tweeted recently that Orioles righty Kevin Gausman told him his hearing is also set for the 14th of the month.
  • The Nationals have little interest in bringing Jayson Werth back to D.C., writes Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. Werth, though, hopes to play next season and tells Janes that he’s enhanced his workout routine this offseason. “I’m still training,” says Werth. “I’m still doing the same stuff I would do every other year. I’m actually training harder because I know I’m getting older, and the only way to keep up is to work harder, which sucks.” Werth, 38, was sporting a productive .262/.367/.446 batting line in 2017 when he hit the DL in early June due to a foot injury. When he returned in late August, though, he struggled to a .155/.226/.286 slash through the end of the season, and his struggles continued in the postseason.
  • Rockies top prospect Brendan Rodgers tells Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post that his ultimate goal for the 2018 season is to make his MLB debut. While the team’s director of player development, Zach Wilson, loves the ambition behind that goal, he wouldn’t comment directly on the plausibility of that scenario. “We’ll see what happens, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to have those aspirations and those goals this year,” Wilson told Saunders. “But I will also say this: we’ll make sure he is ready for the next step before he takes it.” Wilson adds that Rodgers will see action at both middle infield positions during Cactus League play this spring but will also get in plenty of side work at third base as the team increases his versatility. Rodgers is viewed as a potential cornerstone piece in the infield for the Rox, though with Nolan Arenado at third base, Trevor Story at short and DJ LeMahieu at second base, there’s no immediate opening for him. LeMahieu, though, is a free agent following the 2018 season.

Orioles Notes: Machado, Duquette, Jones, Gausman

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Some significant news has already come out of the Orioles’ annual FanFest event, and here are some more items from some reporters on hand (including Eduardo A. Encina and Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun, PressBoxOnline.com’s Rich Dubroff, and MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko)…

  • The Orioles expect Manny Machado to be on the roster on Opening Day and, while they didn’t entirely close the door on trading him, executive VP Dan Duquette said that teams weren’t willing to meet Baltimore’s high demands.  Interestingly, Duquette mentioned that the O’s might have swung a deal if they had received an offer similar to the one that allowed the Cardinals to land Jason Heyward from the Braves in the 2014-15 offseason.  That trade saw Heyward (who was, like Machado, a year away from free agency) and young reliever Jordan Walden moved for an MLB-experienced, controllable arm in Shelby Miller and a top-100 prospect in righty Tyrell Jenkins.
  • Duquette identified the rotation as the biggest need still facing the club.  “The key will be addressing the starting pitching.  If we can do that, and I’m confident that we can — don’t ask me how exactly. But if we can do that, I think we can have another good season,” Duquette said.  Though Spring Training is approaching, Duquette felt that a pitcher could be signed as late as around March 1 without it impacting their preparations for the start of the season.  Aside from pitching, Duquette also mentioned that the O’s are still looking to add a left-handed hitting outfielder and a veteran catcher.
  • Duquette’s contract is up after the 2018 season, and the executive said he would “like to continue” with the club beyond the end of his current contract.  “The Orioles gave me an opportunity to re-establish myself in Major League Baseball, which I really appreciated….I enjoy the fans in Baltimore, I enjoy working in the organization and I appreciate the opportunity Mr. (Peter) Angelos gave me,” Duquette said.
  • There haven’t been any extension talks between Adam Jones and the team, the outfielder said (Twitter links from Meoli and Dubroff).  Jones declined to answer what he considered to be hypothetical questions about his future with the team, other than to say that he was prioritizing winning over money in his next contract.  The lack of negotiations aren’t necessarily a surprise; reports back in November stated that the O’s would wait until later in the offseason to discuss extensions with Jones and Machado.  Jones is entering the last season of a six-year, $85.5MM deal, and it remains to be seen if the Orioles will keep the longtime star into his age-33 season and beyond.  Jones has posted above-average hitting numbers over the last two years but his overall value has diminished thanks to a big dropoff in his fielding metrics.  He did express a willingness to consider moving out of center field, though not for “a couple of years.”
  • Kevin Gausman’s arbitration hearing with the Orioles has been scheduled for February 14, though the righty is hopeful a deal can be reached beforehand.  Gausman is seeking a $6.225MM salary for 2018, while the Orioles countered with a $5.3MM offer.

AL East Notes: Jays, Yelich, Guerrero, Schoop, O’s, Yankees, Sox, JDM

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The Blue Jays were “the only other team that came close” to acquiring Christian Yelich from the Marlins before the outfielder was dealt to the Brewers, SiriusXM’s Craig Mish reports (Twitter links).  “Several variations” of trade packages were discussed between the Jays and Marlins, including some deals that would’ve seen Toronto take some extra money off Miami’s payroll.  What ended talks between the two sides was the Jays’ refusal to deal Vladimir Guerrero Jr.  It was no secret that the Marlins were demanding a big return for Yelich, and it also isn’t surprising that the Jays balked at moving Guerrero, one of baseball’s very best prospects.

Here are more rumblings from around the AL East…

  • Despite “a significant reduction in the gap between” the arbitration numbers filed by the Orioles and Jonathan Schoop, “the level of frustration on both sides is growing” as a deal still isn’t close, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko writes.  In what could be a related story, Schoop didn’t attend the Orioles’ FanFest this weekend, which left manager Buck Showalter “disappointed,” implying that Schoop’s agent advised the second baseman to skip the event (as per Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun and other reporters).  Schoop filed for a $9MM salary while the Orioles filed at $7.5MM.  Kevin Gausman’s arbitration case has also yet to be settled, though Kubatko hears that the O’s will continue to talk to both Gausman and Schoop in the hopes of avoiding a hearing.
  • The Yankees have roughly $10-$15MM ticketed to spend on a starting pitcher or an infielder who can play second base and/or third base, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes.  If everything breaks right for the Yankees in regards to the slow free agent market, they could fill both needs with those funds.  With the club intent on staying under the $197MM luxury tax threshold, that $10-$15MM will leave the Yankees with around $15-20MM on other potential expenses (i.e. contract bonuses, in-season callups or midseason trade acquisitions).  Adding a second baseman would provide depth if Gleyber Torres needs more minor league time as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, and Sherman notes that delaying Torres’ debut would help the Yankees gain an extra year of team control over the star infield prospect.
  • With Lorenzo Cain landing a five-year commitment from the Brewers, the Boston Herald’s Michael Silverman believes that the Red Sox may be forced to offer J.D. Martinez more than the five-year deal they reportedly have on the table for the free agent outfielder.  Martinez is two years younger than Cain and can be signed without draft pick compensation, which could go towards enhancing Scott Boras’ argument that Martinez should receive at least a six-year deal.

AL Notes: Rangers, Ramirez, Betts, Orioles

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Rangers GM Jon Daniels cast doubt on the idea of the team making any marquee additions in comments yesterday to the media, including MLB.com’s TR Sullivan. Daniels called it “unlikely” that the club would end up with a top starter, though he said he also wouldn’t “close the door” on a market that includes former ace Yu Darvish. More likely, it seems, would be a depth addition of some kind, though Daniels also emphasized that the organization is not close to any new deals. Broadly, the organization remains steadfast in its “realistic” assessment of its abilities and needs. While the anticipated roster mix is likely “to create some challenges,” says Daniels, that doesn’t mean it will vary from its strategy entering the winter. The Rangers, he says, were “not going to go all-in, spending big dollars this year, nor were we going to be looking to trade all of our young players.”

More from the American League:

  • The Angels received some promising news on righty J.C. Ramirez, GM Billy Eppler tells Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (via Twitter). Ramirez is continuing to show healing in his right elbow, where he suffered a season-ending partial UCL tear. Stem cell treatment has been promising to this point, giving the team some renewed confidence that it will receive a contribution again from Ramirez, who agreed to a $1.9MM arbitration salary after turning in 147 1/3 innings of 4.15 ERA ball in 2017.
  • As the Red Sox prepare for an arbitration show-down with star outfielder Mookie Betts, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald argues the team never should have put itself in this position. The sides have a $3MM gap at present ($10.5MM vs. $7.5MM) and indications are they’ll resolve it in a hearing, meaning the Sox will be put in the position of presenting Betts in a less-than-positive light before an arb panel. With a prior disagreement over his 2017 pre-arb salary, the financial relationship between the sides isn’t exactly off to the most promising start. For what it’s worth, MLBTR contributor and arbitration guru Matt Swartz argued before numbers were exchanged that Betts is likelier to command a first-time arb payday on the lower side of the existing gulf.
  • Speaking of arbitration, the Orioles will evidently not commit to going to trial over their remaining cases, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Rather the club is still willing to engage in negotiations with both infielder Jonathan Schoop ($9MM filing versus $7.5MM counter) and righty Kevin Gausman ($6.225MM filing versus $5.3MM counter). Whether that’ll mean avoiding a hearing isn’t yet known, but the seeming strategic shift will at least leave remaining room for talks on a few players of quite a bit of importance to the organization’s future.

Unresolved 2018 Arbitration Cases

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We’ve covered a whole lot of arbitration deals today, many of them reached before today’s deadline to exchange filing figures. Some other agreements have come together after team and player submitted their numbers. It’s still possible, of course, that these situations will be resolved before an arbitration hearing becomes necessary. (At this point, we seem to lack full clarity on teams’ approaches to negotiations after the filing deadline. And most organizations make exceptions for multi-year deals even if they have a file-and-trial stance.)

Some situations could even be dealt with in short order. As things stand, though, these unresolved arbitration cases could turn into significant hearings. (As always, MLBTR’s 2018 arbitration projections can be found here; you will also want to reference MLBTR’s 2018 arbitration tracker.)

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