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2017 MLB Arbitration Tracker

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Our 2017 MLB arbitration tracker is now available! The tracker displays all arbitration eligible players, with fields for team, service time, player and team submissions, the midpoint, and the settlement amount. You can filter by team, signing status, service time, Super Two status, and whether a hearing occurred. For unsigned players, arbitration figures will be exchanged tomorrow.

You can bookmark MLBTR’s 2017 Arbitration Tracker here, or you can find it in the Tools menu at the top of the site.

MLBTR is also the only place for salary projections for every arbitration eligible player, which you can find here.

Phillies Avoid Arbitration With Freddy Galvis

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The Phillies have avoided arbitration with infielder Freddy Galvis, per MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki (via Twitter). He’ll earn $4.35MM, per Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link).

MLBTR and contributor Matt Swartz had projected a $4.4MM payday for Galvis, who’s eligible for the second time. In his age-26 season, the versatile fielder hit .241/.274/.399. That represented typically below-average production, albeit in a different way than usual for the diminutive ballplayer.

Galvis hit twenty home runs on the year — matching the cumulative tally over his prior four MLB seasons — and also contributed 17 stolen bases. The dingers, in particular, helped boost his arb value. But it is the glove that largely drives Galvis’s real-world value; he drew strong ratings in the field in his second season as Philadelphia’s regular shortstop.

Indians, Trevor Bauer Avoid Arbitration

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The Indians and right-hander Trevor Bauer have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $3.55MM, reports FanRag’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link). Bauer’s 2017 salary comes in a bit shy of the $3.7MM projection from MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.

Bauer, 26 next week, logged a career-high 190 innings with the Indians in 2016 and posted a 4.26 ERA that represented an improvement over his 4.55 mark from the 2015 campaign. The former No. 3 overall draft pick averaged 8.0 K/9 against a career-best 3.3 BB/9 to go along with a career-high 48.7 percent ground-ball rate. He drew his share of criticism in the postseason for injuring his finger in bizarre fashion, as he was repairing a drone. Bauer’s ALCS start was pushed back from Game 2 to Game 3 and ultimately proved to be an abbreviated outing, as he lasted just two-thirds of an inning due to the injured hand. He did, however, go on to throw 8 1/3 innings in the World Series.

Cleveland originally acquired Bauer alongside Bryan Shaw, Matt Albers and Drew Stubbs in the three-team deal that sent Shin-Soo Choo to the Reds and Didi Gregorius to the Diamondbacks. Bauer has emerged as a reliable fourth starter for Cleveland, following up excellent right-handers Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar in one of the game’s more talented rotations. He reached arbitration as a Super Two player this year and will be eligible thrice more before hitting free agency upon completion of the 2020 season.

With tomorrow set as the deadline for teams and players to exchange arbitration numbers, there figure to be plenty more agreements in the 24 hours to come. You can follow all of the updates using MLBTR’s 2017 Arbitration Tracker.

Twins Sign Chris Gimenez To Minor League Deal

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The Twins announced that they’ve signed veteran catcher Chris Gimenez to a minor league contract and invited him to Major League Spring Training.

That the Twins would sign Gimenez isn’t exactly a surprise, as catching has been a priority for them this season, and John Ryan Murphy isn’t a lock to open the year as the backup to newly signed Jason Castro (who inked a three-year, $24.5MM deal). Minnesota’s new front office is also highly familiar with the 33-year-old Gimenez, who spent time with both the Indians (where new chief baseball officer Derek Falvey was an assistant GM) and the Rangers (where new GM Thad Levine was an assistant GM) in 2016. Gimenez was also with both teams back in 2014.

Gimenez didn’t do much at the plate in 2016, hitting just .216/.272/.331 in 155 trips to the dish. However, his framing marks are solid, and Indians manager Terry Francona lauded Gimenez for the manner in which he helped Trevor Bauer produce improved results beginning last May (as Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote at the time). The well-traveled Gimenez has spent parts of four seasons in the Majors with the Indians, Rangers, Rays and Mariners, producing a .218/.297/.335 batting line in 776 plate appearances.

Cardinals, Matt Adams Avoid Arbitration

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The Cardinals and first baseman Matt Adams have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $2.8MM, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports (on Twitter). That figure is an exact match with the projection from MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.

Adams, 28, missed roughly three weeks of the 2016 season with shoulder troubles but was productive in a part-time role when healthy. The slugging lefty batted .249/.309/.471 with 16 homers in a 327 trips to the plate. The shoulder injury and Adams’ deficiencies against left-handed pitching combined to limit his on-field action last season, and with Matt Carpenter penciled in as the everyday first baseman for the 2017 club, he’s unlikely to see an increase in playing time (barring injuries elsewhere on the roster). Adams has been mentioned as a possible trade candidate this winter, and the Royals are one team that has shown some preliminary interest. However, the free-agent market is flooded with players of comparable skill sets that don’t figure to come with significant asking prices at this point, which likely limits interest Adams to some extent.

Adams has long been a weapon against right-handed pitching when healthy, mashing opposite-handed pitchers at a .284/.331/.480 clip in his career. Lefties have befuddled the big man, however, as he’s mustered a woeful .212/.243/.342 slash against them. Durability has also been an issue for Adams in the past. In addition to last year’s shoulder troubles, he had brief DL stints for oblique and calf injuries in 2013 and 2014, respectively, before missing about half of the 2015 campaign with a torn right quadriceps muscle.

This marks the second trip through the arbitration process for Adams, who will be eligible once more next winter before becoming a free agent upon completion of the 2018 campaign. Remember that you can follow along with this year’s arb class using MLBTR’s 2017 Arbitration Tracker.

Dodgers Notes: Turner, Jansen, Second Base, Puig, Thompson

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Kenley Jansen and Justin Turner both spoke with Doug Padilla of ESPN.com to discuss their decisions to return to the Dodgers organization this winter. As the pair explains, they were in Curacao for Jansen’s wedding along with teammates Yasiel Puig and Scott Van Slyke and hadn’t discussed baseball for the first several days of the trip. Amusingly, it was during a haircut when the barber asked the duo about their free agency that they first discussed the decisions at hand with each other and eventually their teammates. “I don’t think either one of us was trying to pressure anyone to make any decision, we were just laying out the options and different situations and experiences,” said Turner. Jansen said that none of the teammates in attendance pressured him, instead respecting any decision he’d make, which only further instilled a bond and a sense of family. Jansen adds that the Dodgers upped their offer from four years to five shortly before his wedding, which helped to tip the scale in Los Angeles’ favor.

“When we were all together it made it tough for me to make a decision to be in another uniform,” said Jansen. “…A few days before my wedding, it seemed as if I was going to Washington. But after the Dodgers came at the end, I couldn’t leave. I wanted to stay.” Dodgers fans should absolutely check out the story in its entirety, as its stuffed with quotes from the newly re-signed pair of stars.

More on the Dodgers…

  • Dodgers president of baseball ops Andrew Friedman spoke with reporters, including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register, about his team’s needs at second base, and while he wouldn’t comment specifically on the reported impasse with the Twins in their talks for Brian Dozier, he spoke in general terms about the difficult negotiations. “Throughout the course of a negotiation process there are ups and downs,” said Friedman. “So it’s just a tough thing to assess. But there are a number of different options out there. I think some are more likely than others. But three days from now I could feel very differently and those things could flip.” Plunkett reports that the Dodgers have kept in contact with Chase Utley’s representatives this season, though he doesn’t characterize the extent of their interest at this juncture.
  • MLB.com’s Austin Laymance was also on-hand, and he writes that Friedman offered plenty of praise for Puig and spoke of the outfielder as a piece of the team’s future. “I think the upside is significant, and I think there’s a lot more awareness of kind of what’s expected,” said Friedman. “I definitely see some real maturation. In terms of how that translates on the field and success remains to be seen. But he’s capable of so much, and I know his teammates want to see him achieve that, we want to see him achieve that, and we’ll do everything we can to put him in a position to do that.” Friedman suggested that Puig has developed some bad habits in the batter’s box over the years but made progress in correcting them during his demotion to Triple-A. “What we saw in September was just kind of scratching the surface of that…” Friedman added, referencing a month that saw Puig rake at a .281/.338/.561 clip (albeit in just 65 PAs). Puig’s name has been bandied about the rumor mill for the past year or so, but a trade doesn’t seem especially likely at this point.
  • Outfielder Trayce Thompson has “slowly progressed” from a pair of stress fractures in his back that preemptively ended his season back in July, per Friedman (via Laymance). He’s yet to swing a bat and may not be ready for early workouts in Spring Training, but the Dodgers believe he’ll be up to speed at some point before the regular season begins. “We expect him, at some point in Spring Training, to be kind of full go,” said the Dodger president.

Marlins Sign Ramon Cabrera To Minor League Deal

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The Marlins announced that they’ve signed catcher Ramon Cabrera to a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training. Cabrera is represented by Octagon.

The 27-year-old Cabrera spent the past two seasons in the Reds organization but was cut loose by Cincinnati back in December. The former Pirates/Tigers farmhand appeared in 74 games with the Reds in those two seasons, hitting a combined .264/.291/.378 with four home runs in 215 plate appearances. While Cabrera has never shown much power in the minors, he’s consistently hit for respectable batting averages and gotten on base at a solid clip, as evidenced by a .287/.352/.381 slash in parts of nine minor league campaigns (including a .274/.327/.343 slash in 577 Triple-A PAs).

From a defensive standpoint, Cabrera has nabbed one quarter of potential base thieves at the Major League level and logged a 23 percent caught-stealing mark over the life of his minor league tenure. Baseball Prospectus is rather down on his framing work, rating him as the game’s second-worst framer in 2016 despite a limited role. Cabrera figures to compete for a Triple-A spot with the Marlins rather than a candidate for a spot on the big league roster, as Miami will entrust impressive young backstop J.T. Realmuto and veteran A.J. Ellis with its catching duties in the Majors. Miami’s current options in Triple-A include Tomas Telis, Carlos Paulino and Cam Maron.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Trumbo, Orioles, Mallex, Kiermaier, Twins, Gohara

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In his latest notes column, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports provides some new twists in the ongoing saga between Mark Trumbo and the Orioles. Trumbo reportedly rejected a four-year proposal worth more than $50MM earlier this offseason, and Rosenthal hears that he recently asked Baltimore for a three-year deal worth about $50MM. Since that request, Trumbo’s camp has indicated a willingness to take an offer between $40-50MM over three years, he continues. As Rosenthal notes, Trumbo does have interest elsewhere. But, the Rockies would have to move an outfielder and shift Ian Desmond off of first base to facilitate a signing, while the Rangers are currently engaged with Mike Napoli and have suggested on multiple occasions this winter that major free-agent signings aren’t in the cards due to financial reasons.

As always, I’d encourage readers to check out Rosenthal’s column in full. Here are a few more highlights…

  • The Orioles are interested in re-signing Pedro Alvarez to slot in as their DH and replace some of the lost production if Trumbo signs elsewhere. It’s been a quiet market for Alvarez (and most first base/DH types) thus far, but the soon-to-be 30-year-old slugger enjoyed a strong season against right-handed pitching with the O’s in 2016. Last year, “El Toro” batted .249/.322/.504 with 22 homers on the season as a whole. That line includes a dismal .243/.293/.378 showing in a small sample of 41 plate appearances against left-handers. In 334 PAs against righties, Alvarez slashed .251/.326/.522 with 21 of his 22 big flies. From my vantage point, the O’s could use another left-handed stick in their lineup, as right now only Seth Smith, Hyun Soo Kim and Chris Davis project as regulars in the lineup, and Ryan Flaherty is the only lefty on the bench. Adding a switch-hitter like Angel Pagan to handle one outfield slot and moving Smith to a DH platoon with either Christian Walker or Trey Mancini makes a fair amount of sense as well, in my eyes. The O’s are also eyeing left-handed relievers and rotation depth, per Rosenthal.
  • The Mariners tried to acquire Mallex Smith from the Braves on multiple occasions this offseason and had talks with Atlanta about him as recently as last Friday. However, Seattle GM Jerry Dipoto swung a deal for Jarrod Dyson, instead. Dipoto and the Mariners still saw value in Smith and knew the Rays had interest in him as a potential component in a Drew Smyly trade, so Dipoto circled back with Atlanta counterpart John Coppolella over the weekend to get talks rolling once again. (As an aside, Rosenthal counts a staggering 35 trades for Dipoto since taking over as Seattle’s GM in Sept. 2015. Thanks for always keeping us busy, Jerry.)
  • Despite the fact that the Rays now have a fair amount of center-field depth in Smith, Kevin Kiermaier and newly signed Colby Rasmus, a Tampa Bay source tells Rosenthal it’s “very unlikely” that they’ll move Kevin Kiermaier in a trade. Kiermaier won’t turn 27 until April, is controlled through the 2020 campaign and is arguably the game’s top defensive player, making him a highly valuable asset. Defensive metrics are obviously an inexact science, but Defensive Runs Saved pegs Kiermaier at a ludicrous +68 runs in his 2346 Major League innings in center field (and another +13 in his limited corner work). Ultimate Zone Rating has him at +44 in center and +16 in the corners. On top of that, he’s projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to make an eminently affordable $2.1MM in his first trip through arbitration as a Super Two player this winter. He’s also a plus baserunner, and his bat has been slightly above the league average in his career, as he’s a .258/.313/.425 hitter (105 OPS+ and wRC+).
  • Despite possessing options at first base and DH, the Twins are keeping tabs on right-handed hitters in that market in the event that a bargain arises. Minnesota has the well-compensated but declining Joe Mauer at first base as well as former KBO superstar Byung Ho Park and switch-hitter Kennys Vargas as options at first and DH. Mauer’s full no-trade clause and $23MM salary means he won’t be going anywhere, and Park’s contract is affordable enough that it makes sense to see if he can rebound after a strong start to the 2016 season was derailed by a wrist injury that ultimately required season-ending surgery. Vargas, meanwhile, has shown flashes of potential (particularly as a right-handed hitter) but has yet to cement himself in the Majors. Rosenthal’s report meshes with recent rumors that have connected the Twins to Jose Bautista, though it seems that Minnesota is only open to jumping into that market at a certain price point. It strikes me as unlikely that any of Bautista, Trumbo or Mike Napoli would see his market reach that point.
  • In a separate column, Rosenthal writes that while he received some negative feedback from scouts on the Mariners’ decision to move left-handed pitching prospect Luiz Gohara in yesterday’s trades with the Braves (and then the Rays), Seattle may have been more willing to part with the 20-year-old due to medical concerns. The would-be Zack Cozart trade from this past trade deadline fell apart due to the Reds’ concerns over Gohara’s shoulder, Rosenthal hears. Certainly, Atlanta is comfortable enough with Gohara’s shoulder, and GM John Coppolella suggested to Rosenthal that he’s not afraid to move on from a trade due to medical reasons. “We have had to walk away from two trades this offseason because of failed medicals,” said Coppolella. “We feel good about the health of [Gohara and left-hander Thomas Burrows].”

Ji-Man Choi Rejects Outright Assignment, Elects Free Agency

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The Angels announced that first baseman Ji-Man Choi has rejected an outright assignment in favor free agency. The 25-year-old was designated for assignment back in late December when the Halos signed Ben Revere to a one-year deal.

Choi, who will turn 26 in May, was a Rule 5 pick out of the Orioles organization in 2015 (although he’d signed a minors deal in Baltimore just prior to being selected). The Angels designated him for assignment last May and retained him by outrighting him to Triple-A. Choi eventually made his way back to the big league roster but struggled in his first exposure to Major League pitching, hitting just .170/.271/.339 with five homers in 129 plate appearances.

While those numbers are unsightly, Choi did walk at a solid 12.4 percent clip in the Majors against a not-unreasonable 20.9 percent strikeout rate and a solid .170 isolated power mark. He also comes with a nice track record in Triple-A, where he’s slashed .304/.399/.446 with 13 homers in 627 plate appearances. Certainly, he’s not entering any sort of favorable market for first basemen and corner outfielders (he does have 349 minor league innings in left field as well), but his respectable minor league track record and somewhat encouraging K/BB numbers in the Majors should allow him to latch on elsewhere as a depth option.

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