Chicago Cubs avoid mess with arbitration-eligible players

On Friday, the Chicago Cubs finalized settlements with all seven of their arbitration eligible players, avoiding any potential for nasty arbitration hearings.

In alignment with how the front office has operated since Theo Epstein took charge in 2011, the Chicago Cubs settled with all seven of their arbitration eligible players. In doing so, the team will not have to take part in any potentially nasty arbitration hearings this winter. During Theo’s tenure, the Cubs have only taken part in one arbitration hearing (Justin Grimm), which they “won.”

As reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan, MLB front offices are approaching arbitration differently than past offseasons, employing a file-and-trial approach. This fancy lingo simply means that teams are offering their arbitration eligible players a dollar figure and sticking to it, even if it means taking them to a hearing.

Per multiple reports, you can see below the dollar figures that the Cubs agreed upon with their arbitration eligible players compared to their projections via MLB Trade Rumors that were made prior to the offseason beginning:

The only shocking agreement in this batch of signings is Javier Baez, who agreed to a one-year, $5.2M contract for the 2019 season. This was below MLBTR’s projection of $7.1M for the infield star, who posted MVP numbers during the 2018 campaign.

Compared to the projections made by MLBTR, the Cubs were able to “save” $2.7M with their agreements. However, we have no way of knowing exactly what Theo and Co. budgeted for their arbitration players heading into the offseason.

Addison Russell, who is somehow still employed by the Cubs despite many testaments of his past domestic abuse, agreed to a contract nearly a million dollars under projections. His suspension will result in lost base salary in the beginning of the season. However, he will be able to earn all of it back through incentives that the team structured into the deal.

Finally, Kris Bryant still saw a modest increase in his 2019 salary, even higher than projected. This is of note, especially coming off of a down/injury riddled 2018 season. Should Bryant return to full form as many expect, he will be on pace to beat arbitration records in upcoming seasons, just as Rockies third-baseman Nolan Arenado is looking to do this offseason.

All in all, avoiding arbitration is something that every front office should strive to do. Debating why your franchise player, let alone any player on the roster, should receive less money than they claim can get messy quickly and inhibit future negotiations for long-term contracts.