Friday will be an eventful day in MLB.
Today is the deadline for players and teams to exchange figures in arbitration.
Usually, this date results in lots of one-year deals at a set amount, as both parties “settle” on how much that specific player is going to be paid this season.
Also, there is a handful of multi-year deals.
However, each year, some players can’t agree to a deal with their organizations and actually have to go to the arbitration process.
Player and team exchange figures, and an independent arbitrator rules in favor of one of the two parties at a later date.
Over 100 players will agree to their salary for the 2023 season within the next few hours.
“Today is #MLB‘s version of National Signing Day: There will be hundreds of arbitration-eligible players agreeing to terms today with the numbers quickly becoming public. The biggest case: #Padres OF Juan Soto. He earned $11.1 million last year and will certainly eclipse $20M,” MLB insider Bob Nightengale tweeted.
Today is #MLB's version of National Signing Day:
There will be hundreds of arbitration-eligible players agreeing to terms today with the numbers quickly becoming public.
The biggest case: #Padres OF Juan Soto.
He earned $11.1 million last year and will certainly eclipse $20M.— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 13, 2023
Soto and the Padres actually agreed to a one-year, $23 million contract near noon on Friday.
That’s a nice raise for the young star that has publicly said he would love to wait until free agency to sign his long-term deal.
Lots of MLB stars are arbitration-eligible and will learn how much they will make in 2023 today.
Others will have to wait until an arbitrator decides.
It’s a pretty big day in baseball, as most teams usually have multiple arbitration-eligible players, sometimes nearly a dozen.
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