Arbitration eligibility and how it affects the Phillies
Salary arbitration is available to players if they have at least three full seasons of MLB service time, but less than six (172 days on a 40-man roster equals one full season). Players with fewer than six years experience remain under the control of the team; after six years, they are eligible to become a free agent.
A player can also become arbitration eligible if he is a Super Two player. The top 22 percent of players with at least two years and no more than three years of major league service are considered Super Two players, and would therefore get an earlier, fourth year of arbitration eligibility.
Here are some important upcoming dates in the arbitration timeline.
Arbitration Offerings: December 2
Dec. 12 is the deadline for teams to decide whether or not they are willing to go to arbitration with their eligible players or release them.
Here are the four players that are arbitration eligible for the Phils with their service time in parentheses (read like YEAR.DAYS OUT OF 172).
- Jeanmar Gomez (5.063)
- Freddy Galvis (4.021)
- Cody Asche (3.022)
- Cesar Hernandez (2.154)
Cesar Hernandez falls under the Super Two exception.
Galvis and Hernandez are shoe-ins to be tendered by the Phils. Gomez and Asche, on the other hand, not so much. According to MLB Trade Rumors, Gomez’s estimated salary for 2017 would be between $4M and $5M. Is Gomez worth that much on a team not ready to contend? Also, it’s not guaranteed Gomez finds himself as the closer next year. He will be considered an overpriced reliever. For Asche, it might be best for the Phils to cut ties with the once highly touted prospect.
Winter Meetings: December 5-8
The winter meetings is when owners and general managers discuss business and offseason transactions. With the Phils still rebuilding, it’s unlikely they’ll make any major overhauls. If a trade does occur, it could affect what they do with their arbitration eligible players.
Agreement Deadline: Mid-January
Once a player is offered salary arbitration, the team and the player still have until the Jan. 17 deadline to strike an agreement. If an agreement isn’t reached, both sides submit their proposed salary to an arbiter panel.
It is highly unlikely any of these players will go to arbitration. The last time the Phillies went through arbitration with a player: Ryan Howard, back in 2008.
Arbitration: Early February
A hearing takes place among an arbiter between the player and the team. Once each side submits its proposed salary, the arbiter chooses one of the two submissions to determine what the player will make with a 1-year contract next season. This type of “final offer arbitration” is different from the NHL (which allows the arbiter to choose a third option, usually in between the two submissions). Presumably, it prevents arbitration from becoming addictive and having the two sides submit extreme offers just to win a slightly favorable compromise.
