Phillies settle with Gomez; Hernandez still at impasse

The Phillies on Friday settled on a one-year pact with Jeanmar Gomez to avoid arbitration. The 28-year-old reliever will make $4.2 million in 2017.

MLB Trade Rumors projected Gomez to make $4.6 million next year, so another small bargain for the Phils, if we’re talking about expected salary increases.

Gomez went 3-5 with a 4.85 ERA last season, leading the Phillies in saves with 37.

NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE: The Phillies didn’t yet settle on a salary for Cesar Hernandez. The 26-year-old second baseman is in his first year of arbitration; he and the Phils must now swap expected salary figures. If there’s no agreement, an arbiter will determine which figure is sufficient for Hernandez.

The Phillies haven’t faced an arbiter since 2008, when Ryan Howard felt he deserved more pay. He got that pay, winning $10 million and setting a record for those kinds of cases (broken a few times since).

Hernandez made $525,000 last year and had a good year, hitting .294/.371/.393 with a major league-leading 11 triples. MLB Trade Rumors projects his 2017 value at $2.5 million.

By the way, if you’re wondering how arbitration works, check out our guide here.