Winners and losers from MLB arbitration deadline
The MLB arbitration deadline has come and gone. Here are the players and teams that won and lost the biggest.
On Friday, MLB teams and players had until 1 p.m. eastern time to come to terms on 2023 salaries to avoid arbitration. While hundreds of contracts were agreed to, including San Diego Padres superstar Juan Soto, others were not agreed to by the deadline.
For some teams, that means they’ll stop negotiating one-year contracts and take the players to arbitration hearings. For other teams, they’ll continue to negotiate 2023 salaries while also discussing a variety of scenarios, including two-year contracts or even long-term extensions.
Here are six winners and losers from MLB’s arbitration deadline.
Winners from the MLB arbitration deadline: Josh Hader
Left-hander Josh Hader and the Padres agreed to a one-year, $14.1 million contract to avoid arbitration. It’s the largest salary in arbitration history for a reliever and further underscores that Hader is on pace to sign a record-setting contract when he becomes a free agent in 2024.
Winners from the MLB arbitration deadline: San Diego Padres
The Padres take spots 1 and 2. How bout that?
San Diego acquired Juan Soto last July knowing they’d have him for the 2.5 years remaining on his contract. On Friday, the two sides settled on a $23 million salary to avoid arbitration, a raise from his $17.1 million salary last season. He is also arbitration eligible in 2024 before becoming a free agent in 2025.
When Soto becomes a free agent, he’s a strong candidate to receive a $500 million contract. After all, he rejected a 15-year, $440 million contract from the Washington Nationals that prompted the team to consider trade inquiries. So the Padres are set to have Soto for the next two seasons while he makes $23 million in 2023 and around $30 million next season, which is a bargain for a player of his caliber.
Winners from the MLB arbitration deadline: Rafael Devers, Red Sox
After losing Xander Bogaerts, as well as Nathan Eovaldi, J.D. Martinez and likely Michael Wacha, the Red Sox had to do everything in their power to keep Rafael Devers.
Avoiding arbitration altogether, and agreeing to a 13-year mega deal, was a critical step for Chaim Bloom. Overall, the Red Sox are among the offseason’s biggest losers. But keeping Devers long-term gives them a foundational player to build around makes them a winner during arbitration season.