This year’s round of (virtual) arbitration hearings started earlier this week. While a perhaps surprising number of players agreed to one-year deals to avoid arbitration last month, instead of risking a hearing, we will still have some cases heard by a three-person panel of referees in the coming weeks. Some results of the first wave of hearings …
- Mets third base / outfielder JD Davis lost its arbitration hearing and will earn $ 2.1 million in 2021, instead of the $ 2.475 million it entered, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link) The 27-year-old proved to be a good find for the now old front office regime, reaching 0.288 / 0.370 / 0.483 with 28 home runs and 31 doubles through 682 plate appearances since his Mets debut. Davis envisions seeing action on third base and perhaps on the left field again in 2021, and he will be eligible for refereeing three more times due to his status as a Super Two player.
- Rays first base Ji-Man Choi won an arbitration hearing against the club and will receive $ 2.45 million in 2021, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (via Twitter) The team had filed a $ 1.85 million salary application. Choi, 29, has spent the past three seasons with the Rays, hitting a total of 0.257 / .359 / .461 with 30 homers, 45 doubles and three trebles on 821 trips to the plate. He cut 0.230 / 0.331 / 0.410 in 42 games last year and is manageable until 2023. Choi was one of two pending arbitration cases for Rays – the other being left-handed Ryan Yarbrough, whose judgment has not yet taken place.
- The Orioles won outfielder arbitration hearing Anthony Santander, tweets Feinsand. Santander, like Davis, filed for $ 2.475 million, with his club hitting $ 2.1 million. He will earn the lesser of those two sums. The 26-year-old is an ex-chosen from Rule 5, who had a solid showing in 2019 before bursting with great performance in 2020. Last season, Santander hit 0.261 / 0.315 / 0.575 with 11 homers and 13 doubles in only 165 plate appearances. Overall, he gave O’s a cut of 0.261 / .302 / .505 with 31 homers and 33 folds in his previous 570 appearances. There are some obvious question marks of the OBP, but the power made the teams consider Santander a possible negotiation option. He is also a Super Two player and is controlled until 2024.