The deadline for exchanging application materials tonight has passed. Most arbitration-eligible players agree to contracts to avoid attending hearings. There were 17 instances where players and teams failed to agree.
Technically, there’s nothing stopping players and teams from continuing to negotiate. However, almost every team takes a “file and experiment” approach to this process. Clubs will mostly refuse to continue talking about one-year deals after this date. They often make exceptions in discussions involving multi-year deals or club/co-option one-year deals. It is unlikely that all of these participants will ultimately attend the hearing, but most likely will.
If both parties attend the hearing, a three-person arbitration panel will select the player or team’s filing number. They cannot choose a midpoint. The purpose is to prevent parties from anchoring by submitting extremely high or extremely low numbers. Team preferences for documentation and trial methods follow a similar logic. The idea is to prevent players from submitting higher figures so they can continue negotiations until the hearing begins.
List of players eligible for hearings this winter (service time in parentheses):
Angel
brewery
cardinals
Cubs
dodgers
Nationals
oriole
priest
pirate
ray
red sox
yankees
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Tucker and the Cubs have the largest difference in reported numbers at $2.5. He’s one of the top two free agents in next year’s class and is unlikely to sign an extension, so they will almost certainly attend the hearing. King will be one of the best pitchers on the open market next winter, and based on the results of the hearing, he is the only player with more than $1MM in bets. The smallest gap is a mere $150,000 between Rengifo’s and the Angels’ respective filing figures. The hearing is scheduled to begin on January 27 and may continue until February 14.
