Perrotto: Arbitration Prices So Low Even Pirates Should Pay Them (+)
No team in Major League Baseball counts their pennies quite like the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, even they won’t be able to use finances as an excuse when it comes to salary arbitration this upcoming offseason.
The Pirates have six players eligible for arbitration in right-handers JT Brubaker, Mitch Keller, Robert Stephenson and Duane Underwood Jr. and infielders Miguel Andujar and Kevin Newman.
None of them are expected to break the bank even if they wind up going to hearings.
Major League Baseball Trade Rumors released its annual salary arbitration projections Monday, as Pittsburgh Baseball Now’s Danny Demilio reported. The six players on the Pirates’ list are expected to make a total of $11.8 million next season.
Matt Swartz does the projections for MLBTR. He is a financial analyst for the federal government by day and does an outstanding job with his baseball projections, too. He’s not always on the money, pardon the pun, with his figures but is usually close.
That total of $11.8 million is tip money in today’s baseball economy for almost every other of MLB’s 29 teams. New York Mets owner Steve Cohen probably has that much spare change in his glovebox.
It is even a reasonable figure to even Bob Nutting’s Pirates.
So, if general manager Ben Cherington decides not to offer a contract to any of the six players, it should be for strictly baseball reasons rather than any potential financial impact.
Newman has the largest projection at $2.8 million. He is followed by Keller ($2.4 million), Brubaker ($2 million), Stephenson ($1.9 million), Andujar ($1.7 million) and Underwood ($1 million).
With on-field performance being the primary reason to decide on who to tender contracts, Cherington is free to make baseball decisions.
What exactly should he do? Well, we’re here to offer some free advice. And the word “free” is always enough to perk the Pirates’ ears.
Newman might seem a bit steep for the Pirates at $2.8 million considering he figures to be their primary backup infielder behind shortstop Oneil Cruz and second baseman Rodolfo Castro next season.
However, Newman has value coming off a decent season. He hit .274/.316/.372 in 78 games, though his defense was a tick below average at minus-0.2 runs.
Newman was a Gold Glove finalist just a year ago and finished eighth in the National League in hitting as a rookie in 2019 with a .308 average. So, he has his uses and becomes a value piece in 2023 if Cruz or Castro are injured.
Keller is a no-brainer after taking a significant step forward this year. While his record was 5-12 – remember he was pitching for a 100-loss team – his ERA was a solid 3.88.
At 26, there is still room for growth. He should still be part of the rotation in 2025, which is the Pirates’ internal timeline for contending.
Brubaker is 28, had a 3-12 record and 4.69 ERA in 28 starts this year. On the surface, he seems like a pitcher to move on from.
However, Brubaker’s peripheral and expected stats were better than his actual numbers. And his 144 innings were second on the team to Keller’s 159. There is value in innings pitched in an era of five-and-day starting pitchers.
Brubaker is a serviceable No. 5 starter on a good team, which the Pirates are not. His best role might be as a seventh- or eighth-inning guy coming out of the bullpen with his wipeout slider.
Stephenson was solid in 13 relief appearances after being claimed off waivers from the Colorado Rockies. He posted a 3.38 ERA and 0.825 WHIP.
Stephenson is 29 and has never lived up to his billing as a first-round draft pick in 2011. Yet he seemed to find something that worked after joining the Pirates and is worth keeping at $1.9 million.
Andujar is certainly a keeper for the power-starved Pirates. He popped 27 home runs for the New York Yankees in 2018 and finished second to Shohei Ohtani in the American League Rookie of the Year voting.
Yes, that was four years ago. However, Andujar impressed in nine-game stint late this season after being claimed off waivers, going 9 for 36 (.250) with three doubles, a triple and nine RBIs.
Finally, there is Underwood, who has posted a 4.35 ERA over 94 games in two seasons with the Pirates. He has been just barely under league average, so a $1-million salary is acceptable.
Yet it seems like Underwood gives up a run in every game he pitches. He doesn’t, of course. But it seems like it.
That gets old after a while. Even at a bargain price.
Time to move on. For baseball’s reasons rather than money.