This year’s round (virtual) arbitration hearings kicked off earlier this week. While a perhaps surprising number of players have agreed on one-year deals to avoid arbitration last month rather than risk a trial, over the next few weeks we will still be hearing a handful of cases through a three-person panel of arbitrators. Some results from the first wave trials …
- Mets third baseman / outside player JD Davis lost his arbitration hearing and will earn $ 2.1 million in 2021 rather than the $ 2.475 million he submitted, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). The 27-year-old is a great find for the former front-office office. He hits .288 / .370 / .483 with 28 homers and 31 doubles through 682 record appearances since making his Mets debut. Davis plans to look at third base and perhaps left-back again in 2021, and he will be eligible for arbitration three more times due to his status as a Super Two player.
- Rays first baseman Ji-Man Choi won an arbitration hearing against the club and paid $ 2.45 million in 2021, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (via Twitter). The team submitted a salary of $ 1.85 million. Choi, 29, has spent the past three seasons with the Rays, scoring a combined 0.257 / .359 / .461 with 30 homers, 45 doubles and three tries in 821 rounds. He hacked .230 / .331 / .410 in 42 games last year and is controllable until 2023. Choi was one of two outstanding arbitration cases for the Rays – the other one was left-handed Ryan Yarbrough, whose trial has not yet taken place.
- The Orioles won their out-of-court arbitration hearing Anthony Santander, tweets Fine sand. Santander, like Davis, raised $ 2,475MM with his club at $ 2.1MM. He will earn the less of these two amounts. The 26-year-old is a former Rule 5 pick who had a great performance in 2019 before breaking out with a giant performance in 2020. Last season, Santander beat just 165 record appearances with 26 homers and 13 doubles 0.21 / .315 / .575. Overall, he gave the Os a .261 / .302 / .505 cut with 31 homers and 33 doubles in his past 570 record appearances. There are some obvious OBP question marks, but the force has forced teams to consider Santander as a possible trading option. He is also a Super Two player and will be in control until 2024.