With the first significant date on the 2023 MLB calendar upon us, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Today is the deadline for submitting arbitration figures.
Today is the deadline day for both clubs and players to submit figures to MLB for salary arbitration. While players and their clubs can still avoid arbitration after today, many teams have adopted a “file-and-trial” policy in recent years, meaning they do not negotiate further on one-year arb level deals after today’s deadline. It’s likely there will be heaps of deals agreed to throughout the day today, and while these deals likely won’t wildly change any club’s payroll situation, the cost certainty provided could make it easier for teams to work out deals on the trade market going forward. As has been the case for more than a decade, MLBTR published Matt Swartz’s arbitration projections earlier this offseason.
2. International Free Agency To Open
The 2023 signing period for international free agency is set to begin on Sunday, January 15th. This period, which has been moved to January in recent seasons after years of July signing periods, gives all 30 clubs the opportunity to inject their farm systems with fresh talent. While these players are all almost assuredly several years away from impacting the major leagues, many of the biggest superstars of today’s game were acquired by their clubs through the IFA signing process. Most top prospects in a given IFA class likely unofficially made handshake agreements with clubs long before the official opening of their IFA signing period, so most of these top prospects already have publicly available expected landing spots. MLB and the MLBPA tried to come to an agreement on an international draft this summer following CBA negotiations but were unable to do so, leaving the current system in place for the foreseeable future.
3. Cubs Convention is returning this weekend.
Cubs Convention starts tonight, marking its return after two years of pandemic- and lockout-related absence. Perhaps most interestingly, the Ricketts family (who own the team) is set to make an appearance and interact with fans tomorrow. Tom Ricketts drew plenty of flak for canceling his annual Cubs Convention Q&A with fans in 2019 amid the what was then the team’s quietest offseason in years. He was booed in 2020 when citing the luxury tax as a reason for the team’s lack of spending. Since then, Cubs fans have seen the departure of their entire 2016 World Series core (aside from Kyle Hendricks), and the team has suffered back-to-back losing seasons. The signing of Dansby Swanson could perhaps bring about some good will this time around, but he’ll surely still face some tough questions and perhaps produce some notable quotes on the team’s outlook moving forward.
C-Ethan Salas welcome to San Diego..only ? Remaining will this 16 yr old open up as a top 100 when MLB does their next Prospect ranking.?
Mr. Elias. Enough of this arbitration silliness. Extend Cedric Mullins now.
Mullins is already 28. His prime is basically the very beginning of your contention window. Unless he signs a very team friendly deal he’s not a player you consider part of your future core. Elias is brilliant. He knows the only way to compete in the AL East is to continue adding to that farm and wait until the kids come up to gauge the future core.
You don’t give up on a player as good as Mullins. I’m sure there’s enough room on the team for more than one good player.
Who is giving up on him? Hes got several years of control left. He’s extremely valuable. He’s just not worth a massive extension.
Agreed.
AstroChamps: Yes, Mike Elias is a skilled and gifted baseball executive. Grateful that owner John Angelos does not meddle in his work.
I like your take. Interesting angle. That said, I hope you’re wrong. LOL. I was thinking his prime window would be to 34/35. So a 6 year deal?
Back to Elias. Old school; pitching and defense wins games especially up the middle. 1/2 way there defensively for 2023 and the future IE Adley and Cedric. Looking forward to seeing who emerges out of ST as starting SS, 3b and 2b. I know one thing. Find a position for Gunnar and leave him alone. Get that baseball player a full season of at bats. The dude rakes! Cheers.
As a White Sox fan, Sunday effectively starts Christmas for the team. It’s the one area where they’ve been consistently good in scouting and acquiring difference-making talent. Between Tatis, Jr. (stupid, stupid trade even at the time), Abreu, Robert, and hopefully Colas, they’ve found a lot of talent in the int’l market. Eager to see who they get this year.
As a White Sox fan, can you tell me when their convention begins (sarcasm intended)?
And it helped that my Cubs traded Eloy to your Sox in one of the worst trades I have ever seen. Perennial Cy Young candidate Dylan Cease too. It hurts to even think bout it.
Ricketts deserves to get booed. They are making plenty of money and not been spending the way they should. He doesn’t deserve any fan admiration.
Nobody ever takes into the account the Billion (with a B) they have spent on the park–of their own money–no taxpayer/government money. It was about $400 million over budget, but who is counting.
They have spend a lot of money.
If your argument is that they haven’t, in the last two-three years, been spending wisely (which I think you are doing) I can jump on board.
There is just a myth out there that they haven’t spent. That is simply not true.
As a White Sox fan, I know what you’re talking about. They have a high payroll but very little talent to show for it. That’s what happens when you waste money on has-beens like grandal.
Spending money on a park is designed to help owners make more money. I’m not sure anyone can give them credit for that. I’m going to guess most fans want them to spend money on the team and care a lot less about what else they spend money on.
I agree. The money they put in an around wrigley is going to be a cash cow for them. This doesn’t help the team one bit unless they put it back into the payroll.
Tom Ricketts has shown Cub fans that he’s a coward and has been more interested in buying the neighborhood than improving his club
The cubs were never meant to be taken seriously. They have not really contended over the last 100 years. They did I’ll give them credit had one fluke year. But usually you think of a bunch of drunks in the bleachers not really knowing anything about the game. They always love to brag about nothing and have no idea about winning! And they hardly ever bestow honors on any former players not like one big family anyway. I’ve always enjoyed watching them frustrate their fans and most likely will continue watching that for a very long time.
Evidently you’re a clown who has never been to a Cubs game at Wrigley. Be a fan of your own team and not a hater of others. 2016 was an epic team like them or not.
Epic lol
The Ricketts really need to do some PR bandaging. I know quite a few Cubs fans who are miffed still on the handling of the Marquee Network, the broadcast team, and overall fan experience. It hasn’t gone well and it keeps getting swept under the rug.. Yes the Cubs have a lot of fans. However when you keep the fans from watching your product easily and reliably, it will change the number of fans sooner or later.
mlbtraderumors.com/2022/10/mlb-projected-arbitrati…
Here is the link from MLBTR to follow along.
They should just ask Matt Swartz what’s fair. The dude is almost always right!
Out of curiosity, what happens if a team or player doesn’t sumbit a figure? Like accidental oversight or whatever.