The Angels have won their arbitration case against infielder Gio Urshela, and lost their case with Hunter Renfroe reports Jeff Fletcher of SoCal News Group. Urshela will now take home an $8.4MM salary in 2023, rather than the $10MM salary he’d filed for. Renfroe will get $11.9MM from the Angels, who’d countered with an $11.25MM offer. Both players are entering their first season with the Angels this year.
Urshela was acquired from the Twins earlier in the winter, after enjoying something of a bounceback year in 2022. The 31-year-old posted a .285/.338/.429 line with 13 home runs for the Twins last year, his most productive season since 2019 with the Yankees. The key there was a seven percentage point drop in his strikeout rate from a year prior, as well as an uptick in his walk rate.
Renfroe was picked up in an early off-season trade with the Brewers. The corner outfielder slugged 29 home runs last year on his way to a .255/.315/.492 line over 522 plate appearances. That came with some solid outfield defense, as Renfroe logged 2 Defensive Runs Saved in right field.
He figures to be the team’s everyday right fielder, but the playing time allocation for Urshela is a little less clear. Urshela’s generally graded out well at third base, but Anthony Rendon looks set to get the majority of the reps there. Rendon has missed 219 games in the past two years, but if he’s fit you’d have to think he’d be in the lineup at third most days. That could leave Urshela to spend time at the middle infield spots. He played a handful of games at short for the Yankees in 2021, but apart from that has been used only sparingly outside of third, so it’ll be interesting to see where he fits in the Angels lineup.
Both Urshela and Renfroe are entering their last season of club control, and will become free agents at the end of the season.
An overall win for the team
When the Angels win an arbitration case, the whole tank wins
What happens when the Marlins in the fish tank win?
Funny but true story- during their first World Series run in the 90s, the Marlins had their “Everyone’s doing the Fish” video with Billy Marlin accompanied by random fans shot around greater Miami. About midway through the video, the fans would go wild. Marlins PR thought- great, we’ve hit a home run with our marketing and are really truly connecting w the community. The reaction got more intense and insane each time they ran the video. Marlins finally figured out, much to their chagrin, that the reaction was keyed to a certain, ‘em, chesty fan in the video and said fan’s exuberant rendition of the Fish dance
This player has been a consistent GOOD HITTER during the las 4 years. He deserved the $10M
Apparently not or he needs a better agent to plead his case.
No player deserves $10 Mil per year. Not one. That is an insane paycheck.
Your understanding of economics is amazing.
Your understanding of arbitration economic is amazing.
Lol
Angels said he has done nothing for them.
So u would rather the owners make even more money?
Doesn’t matter who has the money, they all have what average people would consider life changing money. Squabbling about whether a billionaire or millionaire should have this pocket change is hilarious.
It fascinates me when folks choose side in the millionaire/billionaire dynamics. Like they have to side with Trout because he is only going to earn $0.5B instead of Moreno who is worth > $1B.
God forbid owners make some money lol. I guess fans want all owners to sink all their assets into players. Since you know, they don’t make enough as is. It’s one part of baseball that is costing them fans and the interest, is the high price players demanding more and more money. Some of these guys make so much money, that they have their great great great great grandchildren living comfortably. 600 million is crazy money. Heck, some of these starters making 400 million for 7-10 years, can’t go 8 innings. Some of these pitchers barely make it to 6 innings anymore. But let’s pay these guys more money to just wear a uniform.
Commissioner has his hands tied to rinse the game of greed on both sides of the platform. This latest CBA was example of the greed on both sides. Owners and MLBPA only care about what goes into their pockets, anything else is unimportant. They left the minor league players high and dry. Again, greed is killing the game. Both owners and players are selfish while refusing to evolve the game. Baseball is dying. Until it reconnects with the nation from coast to coast, it will be a lost sport. MLB hasn’t connected with the next generation of kids they way they have with my generation and a generation after mine. Since 2003, MLB has lost touch with the fans and generations to come. The steroid scandal and other events that happened during or around 2003, had fans ignoring and refusing to come back to the game. Several guys I played baseball with and were vivid baseball fans, refuse to “pay attention” to the game anymore. During our youth, we would travel with our dads to a game yearly. We did it for a few years after graduation, but like our fathers, we quit going because MLB lost the thrill. Greed took over, money became the major aspect of every aspect of the game. Owners, players, fancy stadiums, overpriced beers, 8 dollar hotdogs, 130 nosebleed seats, etc. has changed so much that it has lost it’s “favorite past time” monologue.
Yes
Relax…….it’s not your money. Also, what makes you think you deserve what you’re paid?
@jad why should owners throw billions of dollars into a single player? A bit of a double standard and why this game is polluted by greed
Because it’s their money. Now, how about I tell you how you should spend yours?
@jad fans want owners to spend their money and complain when they don’t spend enough. Owners get a lot of bs from fans.
For me, I wouldn’t buy a new toy because I had the money. Instead I research with what I need extensively until I find something that “works” to my needs. Some owners should use that logic when adding players to their club. Angels are one organization who spends stupid money but hasn’t seen a playoff game or winning record in over a decade. Mets, Phillies, Cubs, Red Sox, Padres, and Rangers are others who have little to show for after spending 200+ million on a roster. Dodgers spend and use my logic when adding players. They research the player they eye and make sure it doesn’t disrupt their clubhouse. I respect the Dodgers for that, because it’s a challenge to keep players heads in the game when all they think about is that huge paycheck they receive, win or lose. Dodgers manage adding players to an already high quality team yearly.
If Gio would’ve asked or filed at 9.2MM or something other than a whole number, he probably would’ve gotten it. It’s always some numbers after a decimal that’s more than most families make in a year, that’s the difference in a W and L in arb. He made 6.55M last year, so ten was big ask.
Very true round numbers are taken to be not as accurate
AL West will beat up one another this year. It seems possible to have 4 teams over .500 if they can all stay healthy and with the A’s being so bad.
With the new schedule I don’t believe they play each other as often. Which is probably a good thing for the expanded wildcard race.
Nevin already answered the question of where Urshela was expected to play.
mlb.com/news/phil-nevin-angels-2023-roster-additio…
As a reminder the twins traded Urshela away for a nothing pitcher to save money. And signed Kyle Farmer for 5.85 million.
So they saved 2.5 million. Real brilliant.
I find it funny he said the bullpen carried them. After July, the pen was 24th in WAR. They were 26th in wins. 28th in FIP. 5th in blown saves..
It has to do better.
Before I get slammed, does anyone think the pen carried them? Would anyone be satisfied if they pitched that well next year?
Not incorrect, just missing the point by a wide margin.
The bullpen was gassed long before the season ended. With many of the SP racking up 90+ pitches before the 5th was completed meant the bullpen often had to pitch half a game, night after night.
I want to make a couple of points. I’ll make the positive one first. I believe in Driveline. Our RPs, have warts, but they are not hopeless. . Bill Hezel, is an ex-director of Driveline. He knows what he’s doing. I have hope.
Now the bad point. I don’t think Nevin has a clue how to handle the pen. If he thinks they carried the team the last two months… we are doomed.
By the way, I don’t know what to make of this, but Angels RPs we’re 14th in IP, and 19th in RP after the end of July.
@GeoKaplan You’re right. The Angels were 17th in innings pitched by starters. More than 100 IPs less than the Astros. Part of it is Angels are still relatively young and part of it is Angels pitchers tend to throw too many pitchers. This is the year they need to go deeper in games.
Shohei has worked with Driveline for the past couple seasons with the weighted balls and Pocket Radar. I am not saying all players will have the same results as Ohtani has had. He already had elite pitches before Driveline but they definitely have helped him take his game to the next level. A lot of Angel’s fans saw Jo Adell working with Driveline and hitting ropes off of fastballs this off season, which he couldn’t do last year. Let’s hope they can get him on track as well.
Go look at Pitches list. There is a great article on Adell. To sum it up.
He took strikes early in the count and when the pitchers got ahead, he swung at pitches he couldn’t hit.
Swinging at the wrong time is a great way to fail.
How many player losses is that now since Burnes lost his case? Look at reality everyone of those players had a bad image thrown on them by their team when winning their case. Can’t believe the outcry on what occurred to Burnes when it is simple how the process works.
Amen brother
Most players just take the L and move on. Every couple of years a higher profile player makes a stink. They are fighting over millions of dollars, why wouldn’t an organization use all the info they have to win?
In the case of Burnes, the Brewers were arguing about $750K for their best SP (who is not currently their highest-paid SP).
In order to win, a team has to stress to the arbitrator all the negatives about the player, how substandard they are and undeserving of the raise. It gets really personal in the hearing. Amazing the Brewers thought it better to alienate their best pitcher rather than spend an extra $750K.
If a team like the Brewers plan to compete, they need Burnes.
What a foolish mistake. The ripped him in arbitration. Better to keep their mouths shut and keep it low key and lose, than this.
The entire process is beyond idiotic. You not only don’t need the player in the room, you don’t need either party. Just submit your facts and claims to the arbiter by E-mail.
Regardless, Burnes is one of the best starters in all of baseball, if not, the best. How did he lose his arbitration case? Who argued his case Christopher Darden?
He lost his case because his number submitted was too high in terms of what historically a player around same service time and results made when they went 2nd time of 3 times through Arbitration. His may have been the record shattering over 700k from the previous record. All 30 teams would now have to give that kind of pay or higher moving forward. Maybe the arb decision makers value a 3-4pct increase year over year and Burnes’ increase would have been over 7pct.
It doesn’t matter why he lost, it matters how the Brewers presented their case.
It’s a fine line, the Brewers crossed it. The Brewers won the battle but lost the war.
Trade Gio Urshela to the Marlins, please.
Angels pulling a burns.