After weeks and weeks of breathless anticipation, the big day is finally here: today marks the deadline for clubs and players to exchange figures for arbitration! Are you excited yet? Woooo!*
J.P. Howell reached a pre-arb deal with the Rays last night, signing a one year, $1.35 million contract for 2012. This will be his final year of team control, so he'll be a free agent next offseason (for better or worse, I guess). But the big news is that the Rays still haven't reached an agreement with their four final arbitration-eligible players: Burke Badenhop, Jeff Niemann, B.J. Upton, and David Price.
The deadline is at 1 P.M. this afternoon, so we should expect to hear by then if the Rays have reached deals with any of these players. Under Andrew Friedman, the Rays have normally reached pre-arb deals with players if possible, only going to arbitration 12 times (and winning all 12 cases) four times under Friedman (winning every case). The Rays don't negotiate with players after this deadline, choosing to go to arbitration hearing instead as it makes this a hard-and-fast deadline to get deals completed.
For all those still hoping that Upton or Price will get signed to a long-term contract, it looks like this is the point of no return. After today, we'll know for sure whether the Rays are planning on merely reaching one-year deals with both players, or if they were working on something larger.
*This is what my life has become.
0 recs | 46 comments
Hoping for an Upton extension
Sadly, there is probably less than a 1% chance of it happening.
Tonage - January 17, 2012
Steve Slowinski - Woo boy
Jason Collette - January 17, 2012
steve slowinski is the nature boy?
Whoooooooo!
raysfaninminnesota - January 17, 2012 via mobile
Cheer UP Steve
You ,Jason and the rest of the writers do a great job with the off season filler stories. I for one appreciate it. Many other baseball sites give the reader a blank page to look at. Raysball is just around the corner. I miss Sandy, but other than that, life is good.
Landlord - January 17, 2012
With the Rays record in arbitration, you have to wonder why players elect to go that route
sternfan1 - January 17, 2012
greed probably
OneTonneBaby - January 17, 2012
C'mon
td32 - January 17, 2012
and Upton..
SRQman - January 17, 2012
put the ellipsis on the other side
pudieron89 - January 17, 2012
and it needs 3 dots!
Passionate Apathy - January 17, 2012
It's going to be a tough pill to swallow if Price gets what he's asking for
in arbitration, especially when the s2 status should have been avoided. Hopefully a multi year deal that buys up his arby years will settle this
sternfan1 - January 17, 2012
whats a fair deal for an extension?
Josh Johnson got 4 yrs 40 million but I believe he had a cy young under his belt, although also durability concerns. 6 yrs, 65 mil (5, 7, 10, 13, with 2 option yrs at 15)?
raysfaninminnesota - January 17, 2012 via mobile
I'd jusr buy up the arby years 4/$42 and by doing so
he becomes easier to deal if need be
sternfan1 - January 17, 2012
i cant see the rays doing any extension without buying out even 1 yr of free agency
Rays assume all the risk with nothing to gain but cost certainty. Plus, it sets a bad precedent for future arb players with their negotiations. I just don’t see a 4 yr deal happening. It’s either yr to yr or a 5 or 6 yr deal.
raysfaninminnesota - January 17, 2012 via mobile
Without an extension or a complete fail on Price's end for '12, this will be his last year in a Rays uniform
and that’s a pretty sad state of affairs for the Rays and MLB, when a team can only afford a player for three full seasons under the present arby system
sternfan1 - January 17, 2012
Completely agree with this.
When a team can only afford a star player for half of their “team control” years there is a major problem. This isn’t just a problem for the Rays either. Most other teams might be able to afford him for another year, but after that it gets hard to plan for big jumps in pay like this if you’re working on a $100MM or less payroll.
jtmorgan - January 17, 2012
If BJ goes to arb, does that increase the odds he'll be dealt before the season?
nomoredevil - January 17, 2012
Nope
sternfan1 - January 17, 2012
I am starting to wonder if the Rays would be better off trading Price.
I think we have the pitching prospects to replace his producton and if he can bring back a Votto type hitter, that would make the Rays much more dangerous IMO. I wonder if the Reds and Rays ever discussed Votto for one of the aces (probably not).
JoeMasGlasses - January 17, 2012
Just don't trade him before my dinner with him on the 3rd.
Hatfield - January 17, 2012
I think Price is going to a hearing
I don’t know why but I just think he is.
Other 3 should sign very soon.
joeybw - January 17, 2012
good thing you're always terribly off on your predictions
pudieron89 - January 17, 2012
Case and poinr
BossmanJunior333 - January 17, 2012 via mobile
oh sternfan, stop torturing the twitter world
Just because Hamels made 15 million in his last year of arbitration doesn’t mean we are going to give Price away now.
joeybw - January 17, 2012
I say no but it's me, I'm gonna post it.
#Brewers ink $8m, 1-yr deal with Francisco Rodriguez, avoiding complicated arb case with K-Rod. Soriano-style deal be coming? #Rays
joeybw - January 17, 2012
No
Why not sign Ryan Madson if the Rays had 8M to spend?
Ben Tumbling - January 17, 2012
Maybe we did and prefered the Reds
No, I meant to ask who would be interested if the Brewers paid half the salary?
joeybw - January 17, 2012
nope
pudieron89 - January 17, 2012
Topking is "hearing" that Rays have reached deals with Price and Upton
Good. now go sign Pena.
joeybw - January 17, 2012
Whoa
The Rays avoided arbitration with starter David Price on a deal worth $4.35MM
joeybw - January 17, 2012
Thats almost half of what I expected
BossmanJunior333 - January 17, 2012 via mobile
Cork at RI projected 7.8
So, yeah. Nice.
Imperialism32 - January 17, 2012
Andrew convinced David that he's not good
Ben Tumbling - January 17, 2012
Couldn't trick Upton also?
He got 7 mil + incentives
joeybw - January 17, 2012
Upton has always thought he's all that
Ben Tumbling - January 17, 2012
At that price, I'd rather see the dollars allocated elsewhere to fill a more glaring need.
FreeZorilla - January 17, 2012
Who would have thought
Niemann and Badenhop were the greedy little bastards ha
BossmanJunior333 - January 17, 2012 via mobile
Assuming it just hasn't been announced yet
Would be shocked if Rays couldn’t get those 2 signed, especially Badenhop…
joeybw - January 17, 2012
Friedman at Arb:
“For goodness sake, we acquired this guy for a retiring A ball player!”
FreeZorilla - January 17, 2012
$7 mil for Upton
Imperialism32 - January 17, 2012
Neimann is headed for a hearing
Badenhop did agree.
joeybw - January 17, 2012
Or we could trade him
And maybe that team wont have deadlines.
joeybw - January 17, 2012
We know that for a fact?
Or it just hasnt been announced?
BossmanJunior333 - January 17, 2012 via mobile
Sooooo
With the Signings of Badenhop, Upton and Price, how much did the #rays save off “projected” arb numbers? I have Price as 2.65 less, Upton at 800 K less….not sure what Burke’s projection was….
Jacob Larsen - January 17, 2012
I think all three fell below their projections
Dont forget upton still has incentives. I think price is the big shocker, I expected 7-8 mil. Niemann should be between 2-3 mil, right?
BossmanJunior333 - January 17, 2012 via mobile
So if James Loney is worth 6.35, BJ has to be worth 7, right?
Ryan Gilliss - January 17, 2012
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