Astros and right-handers Luis Garcia Arbitration has been avoided, the Associated Press reported. The right-hander will make $1.875MM through 2025.
The arbitration system works in such a way that salaries almost never go down. Because of this, it’s common for a player to miss an entire season and then see his salary remain stable for the next year.
Tomorrow is the deadline for players and teams to exchange salary data, so the salaries of a large number of arbitration-eligible players should be finalized in the next 24 hours or so. Those who fail to reach an agreement will have arbitration hearings in the coming weeks. With Garcia now settled, the Astros still have an arbitrage class that includes Framber Valdez, Mauricio Dupont, Brian Abreu, Chas McCormick, Isaac Paredes, Jack Meyers and Jeremy Pena.
Garcia has a career ERA of 3.61 in his 352 innings, mostly as a starter, though he’s been on ice for a long time. He underwent surgery in May 2023 and attempted a return to the mound last summer, although he had some trouble recovering while out during his rehab assignment and was ultimately shut down. In a recent mailbag, Chandler Rome of The Athletic said he might not be ready for Opening Day in 2025.
His status may become clearer as spring training gets underway next month, although the Astros are known for muddying the waters when it comes to player health. Whenever Garcia returns to the mound, he should join Valdez in the rotation, Hunter Brown, Ronel Blanco, Spencer Alehti and Hayden Wesneski. Like Garcia, pitchers like Lance McCullers Jr., french justice of the peace and Christian Javier He is expected to recover from the surgery this year.
