ANDTuesday was the deadline to reach agreements and avoid the salary arbitration, which will be attended by 31 players. The deadline had been postponed from mid-January to March 22 due to the employer’s strike that had the season in limbo.
The salary arbitration It happens when a player, who has not reached the years of service to be a free agent, does not agree on the salary for the following season of his team. The player proposes one figure, the franchise another, and an independent panel determines what the pay will be.
Players eligible for arbitration who did not reach an agreement with their teams may make their cases before a panel of three people, by videoconference, after the opening day of the campaign. It is a calendar rarity, which became necessary in the face of the 99-day lockout that forced the start of the preseason and the regular season to be postponed.
No dates have been defined for the hearings, which usually take place in February.
If the teams and players do not agree on a salary before the opening game, the player is paid at the level proposed by the club and the salary will be retroactively adjusted if necessary.
Among the players who reached agreements before the deadline was the Dominican John Soto. He agreed to a one-year, $17.1 million deal to stay with Washington. The hike was $8.6 million for the 23-year-old, who hit .313 with 29 home runs last year.
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees slugger, as well as five Atlanta Braves players, are among 31 players heading to salary arbitration hearings which will take place during the regular season.
None of those players reached a contractual agreement. All have now exchanged required amounts with their teams.