The Red Sox announced that they’ve avoided arbitration with right-hander Carson Smith by agreeing to a one-year contract. The team did not announce financial terms, though Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports that Smith will earn $850K for the coming season (Twitter link). Boston also announced its previously reported one-year, $1.1MM deal with fellow arbitration-eligible righty Steven Wright.
The deadline for teams and players to exchange arbitration figures is this Friday, so it stands to reason that there’ll be a number of players agreeing to deals over the course of the next five days. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes recently tweeted that all 30 teams are believed to be adopting a “file and trial” approach to arbitration, meaning they’ll no longer negotiate one-year contracts beyond this Friday’s deadline (though multi-year extensions are typically still negotiated by file-and-trial organizations).
Smith, 28, was acquired in the 2015-16 offseason in a trade that sent Wade Miley and Jonathan Aro to the Mariners. He pitched just 2 2/3 innings for the ’16 Red Sox before requiring Tommy John surgery, however, and he was able to make it back to the mound for just 6 2/3 frames in Boston last year. His $850K figure falls shy of the $1.1MM projected arbitration salary from MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.
Now healthy, Smith should play a considerably larger role in the Boston bullpen in 2018 and beyond. Prior to undergoing Tommy John surgery, he had a somewhat under-the-radar rookie breakout in 2015, tossing 70 innings of 2.31 ERA ball on the strength of 11.8 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a 64.8 percent ground-ball rate in the Mariners’ bullpen.
This is the first of three trips through the arbitration process for Smith, who is controlled by the Red Sox through the 2020 season. The Sox still have a whopping 11 arb cases to resolve, including high-profile cases for Mookie Betts and Drew Pomeranz, both of whom project to earn more than $8MM. Other Red Sox that are up for arbitration include Jackie Bradley Jr., Joe Kelly, Tyler Thornburg, Xander Bogaerts, Brock Holt, Sandy Leon, Brandon Workman, Christian Vazquez and Eduardo Rodriguez.
If all teams did this, wouldn’t that be collusion?
Only if they colluded together. If they all make the decision independently then it isn’t.
Can’t collude separately
They’ve been trending that way for several years now. It’s become more standard practice, and I’d imagine that a large number of the younger execs that are heading up front offices view the matter similarly.
This was a big pickup for Boston before the ‘16 season that they couldn’t stop talking about. Wonder if he’s fully healthy now and will be that guy.
I’m hoping him and Thornburg have a big year, they gave up quite a bit to get those two
Actually the Red Sox only gave up Wade Miley to get Carson Smith and Roenis Elias they gave up not much.
The Red Sox get three more years of Carson Smith, who has posted 0.3 bWAR in 11 appearances with the Red Sox since the trade. The Sox also have four years of Roenis Elias, who has posted a negative 0.4 bWAR in four appearances, including one start.
Wade Miley posted 0.5 bWAR in 19 starts for the Mariners before being traded for Ariel Miranda, who remains under team control for five seasons after posting 1.9 bWAR in 42 appearances, including 39 starts, since his trade. Seattle also has six years of Jonathan Aro, who posted 0.1 bWAR in a single appearance with the Mariners.
Carson Smith may help the Red Sox play catch-up in that trade.
Not really. The Thornburg trade was the only trade where much was given up, and thats skewed because shaw had a breakout first half of the season last year, but came back to earth the second half.
The only reason we felt pain on that trade was because after all the hubub of Panda getting in shape, he flunked out hard and Holt ened up on the DL for a long while. On top of Thornburg getting hurt. If Smith and Thornburg come back healthy, I like how our relief core is set.
Bstrong I would say that along with Price Carson Smith is the key if he comes back to presurgery form then I would say Boston bullpen is as good as anyone’s. Since Thorn had tos surgery I’m not as convinced on him coming back to presirgery form. Smith was crazy good before the surgery elite ground ball and very high strikeout pitcher he is the key to that bullpen.
Carson Smith has barely pitched. The mariners got back wade Miley in the deal. The mariners traded wade Miley for Ariel Miranda at the 2016 trade deadline. Ariel Miranda was the only starter the Mariners had in 2017 to not hit the DL. My god, baseball is weird.