Recapping the 2023 MLB Arbitration Process

Major League Baseball’s 2023 salary arbitration season was yet again another successful season for the clubs. There were 33 players and teams who filed numbers. Ultimately, 14 players settled, while 19 players went to hearings against their clubs, where the Clubs held a substantive advantage. Both the Cardinals (Ryan Helsley and Genesis Cabrera) and the Mariners (Diego Castillo and Teoscar Hernandez) went 2-0 against their players, while the Miami Marlins (Luis Arraez and Jesus Luzardo) were the only players to sweep their club. The Rays were the club with the most hearings with four, finishing with a 2-2 record.

NINETEEN HEARINGS: 13 CLUB WINS - 6 PLAYER WINS

NINE MULTI-YEAR EXTENSIONS:

1. Yandy Diaz - Tampa Bay Rays - 3 years, $24M - AAV of $8M 2. Jeffrey Springs - Tampa Bay Rays - 4 years, $31M - AAV of $7.75M 3. Peter Fairbanks - Tampa Bay Rays - 3 Years, $12M - AAV of $4M 4. Dylan Moore - Seattle Mariners - 3 years, $8.875M - AAV of $2.96M 5. Cristian Javier - Houston Astros - 5 Years, $64M - AAV of $12.8M 6. Seranthony Dominguez - Philadelphia Phillies - 2 Years, $7.25M - AAV of $3.625M 7. Tony Gonsolin - Los Angeles Dodgers - 2 Years, $6.65M - AAV of $3.325M 8. Jeff McNeil - New York Mets - 4 Years, $50M - AAV of $12.5M 9. Bo Bichette - Toronto Blue Jays - 3 Years, $33.6M - AAV of $11.2M

FIVE 1-YEAR SETTLEMENTS:

1. Jon Berti - Miami Marlins - 1 Year, $2.125M - Club Option at $3.5M in 2024 2. Jose Alvarado - Philadelphia Phillies - 1 Year, $3.45M

3. Austin Voth - Baltimore Orioles - 1 Year, $1.85M

- Club Option at $2.45M in 2024 4. Gleyber Torres - New York Yankees - 1 Year, $9.975M

5. Victor Robles - Washington Nationals - 1 Year, $2.325M

- Club Option at $3.3M in 2024

Conclusion

Overall, the Clubs were victorious in this year’s slate of arbitration cases, more than doubling the wins of the players. This could lead to internal discussions on altering the process, especially since the elimination of it was discussed during the most recent CBA negotiations. The process consistently hinders relationships between players and their clubs, so if the clubs continue to win the majority, the salary arbitration process could cease to exist in the near future.

Michael Perlo is a law student at the University of Buffalo School of Law, Class of 2023. He can be found on Twitter @michael_perlo.