2015 Arbitration Signings

[Seth Stohs]

I thought I'd start a new thread to discuss the Twins six arbitration eligible players after they sign (or exchange terms if necessary):

 

Tommy Milone, per Mike Berardino, agreed to a $2.775 million deal. (I predicted $2.4M)

 

Also per Mike Berardino, Trevor Plouffe agreed to a $4.8 million, one year deal. (I predicted $4.85M)

 

Berardino tweets that Eduardo Nunez agreed at $1.025M (I predicted "just shy of $1M).

 

Darren Wolfson tweeted that Casey Fien has agreed to a 1-year deal... terms to come. Wolfson says $1.375M (Ignore my $2M prediction... Oops!).

 

The Twins were not able to reach agreements with Brian Duensing or Jordan Schafer, so numbers were exchanged. We'll post them here when we learn them.

 

Here were my predictions from earlier this week.

Here is Mike's blog on the arbitration numbers. 

[Jeremy Nygaard]

I thought Milone would be the last to agree to terms, so it's good to see this resolution come quickly. MLB TR had him pegged for $2.8m and I had him at $2.75m, so $2.775 seems pretty reasonable.

[Jeremy Nygaard]

Mike Berardino reports that Plouffe settled for $4.8m. MLBTR projected $4.3. I projected $4.75m.

[Jeremy Nygaard]

Berardino also reports Nunez gets $1.025. MLB TR had him at $1.2m. I had him at $1.05.

 

Um, TwinsDaily... my price is going up...

[Jeremy Nygaard]

Doogie says Fien is done. That leaves Duensing and Schafer.

[Jeremy Nygaard]

Per Doogie, Fien gets $1,375,000.

 

My guess: $1,250,000.

MLB TR: $1,100,000.

Seth: $2,000,000 (after a heavy day of saucin'.)

[nater79a]

Uh oh..I sense a 5-year deal for Schafer being discussed as the Twins try to decide if he's the CF of the future. Buxton or Schafer? Buxton or Schafer...

[Linus]

If I was Schafer, I would take the Twins offer and say "I'm really excited to be a part of this wonderful organization and look forward to helping the team anyway I can."

 

Randy Bush had a theory that he didn't want to get the most money he could because that would make it easier for the Twins to decide he wasn't worth it.  It sounds kind of crazy but really its crazy like a fox.  There is a number where Schafer is worth it for the Twins, and there is a number where he isn't.  Guys like him frequently end up released for money, when their goal should be to gain any kind of a foot hold on a MLB roster.

[JB_Iowa]

LaVelle E. Neal III ‏@LaVelleNeal  · 25m25 minutes ago 
Arbitration $$$ exchanged. Brian Duensing wants $3.1 million. Jordan Schafer wants $1.7 million. Twins offer: $2.4M and $1.4M, respectively.

[stringer bell]

Split the difference and get it over with. I am as big a fan of Schafer as almost everyone, and I thought it was questionable that he would even be offered arbitration.

 

Apparently years of service matters quite a bit. I was looking at some of the numbers agreed to by arb eligible players and Casey McGehee is filing for more than Plouffe will be getting and in the same range as Josh Donaldson, even though Plouffe profiles better and Donaldson is an All-Star.

[Seth Stohs]

Apparently years of service matters quite a bit. I was looking at some of the numbers agreed to by arb eligible players and Casey McGehee is filing for more than Plouffe will be getting and in the same range as Josh Donaldson, even though Plouffe profiles better and Donaldson is an All-Star.

 

That is kind of the big piece of arbitration, years of service. 

[nater79a]

Little bit off the topic of the Twins players, but I noticed that 1B Steve Pearce of the Orioles filed for $5,4 mil while the club countered with $2 mil.  Filings don't even seem to be in the same zip code. I realize that Pearce filled in for Chris Davis some last year, but geeez...

[Thrylos]

Little bit off the topic of the Twins players, but I noticed that 1B Steve Pearce of the Orioles filed for $5,4 mil while the club countered with $2 mil.  Filings don't even seem to be in the same zip code. I realize that Pearce filled in for Chris Davis some last year, but geeez...

 

Not that much off topic.  Pearce was a former Twin

[ashbury]

Little bit off the topic of the Twins players, but I noticed that 1B Steve Pearce of the Orioles filed for $5,4 mil while the club countered with $2 mil.  Filings don't even seem to be in the same zip code. I realize that Pearce filled in for Chris Davis some last year, but geeez...

And this is why they have the arbiters.   Most times it's to nudge the two parties toward consensus, but in a minority of cases it's to provide a dose of reality to one party. Of course, we all have our own ideas in advance of the decision which side (if either) represents reality.

[nater79a]

What's the background of these arbiters? Do they have any connection to the game at all?

[nater79a]

Not that much off topic.  Pearce was a former Twin

 

That's right! I forgot about that.

[JB_Iowa]

What's the background of these arbiters? Do they have any connection to the game at all?

 

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15864

 

From 2012 but probably hasn't changed much

 

Who are the arbitrators?

The MLBPA and the Labor Relations Department of MLB jointly agree upon a slate of 16 or so arbitrators to hear all cases in panels of three (one of the three is designated the "Chair" of the panel). If the two sides are unable to agree on a slate the CBA directs them to request a list of qualified arbitrators from the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and each side alternately strikes names off the list until they are left with enough arbitrators to hear all cases.

 

The arbitrators are lawyers and judges with extensive arbitration experience and arbitration certification from a professional guild like the AAA. Essentially they serve as judges in a quasi-judicial hearing.

 

While they don't necessarily have a connection as a former player or coach, rhey often have some familiarity because they often serve as an arbitrator over a number of years,  I had a labor law professor who was a baseball arbitrator,

 

The article explains the whole process.  This is one of the places agents really earn their percentage. 

[JB_Iowa]

And then there was one....

 

Rhett Bollinger ‏@RhettBollinger  · 4m4 minutes ago 
Twins agree to terms with Jordan Schafer to avoid arbitration. It's $1.55 million for one-year.

 

 

 

I believe Duensing said they were working on it when Pohlad was kidding him last night.

[JB_Iowa]

And then there were none:

 

Seth Stohs ‏@SethTweets  · 2m2 minutes ago 
Twins and Duensing agree at $2.7 million.

 

 

I'm sure it is a relief to both sides.

 

Let's play ball!

[JB_Iowa]

Mike Berardino ‏@MikeBerardino  · 10m10 minutes ago 
New Opening Day projection for #MNTwins payroll: $106.2 million.

Have 15 players under contract at $100,975,000