According to Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball, the New York Yankees and shortstop Didi Gregorius have settled at $5.1 million to avoid arbitration. This is Gregorius’ first year of arbitration eligibility.
To be eligible for arbitration, a player must have at least three, but fewer than six, years of service in the major leagues. Teams and their eligible players have until Jan. 13 at 1 pm (today) to exchange filing numbers. Each side submits what they feel like the player is worth for next season, in accordance with MLB rules.
If the team and player don’t settle by the deadline, they have until February to negotiate a contract. If a deal is still not reached, then the team and player present their cases to a panel at an arbitration hearing in February. The panel then decides on a salary based on a number of factors, such as the player’s contribution to the team during the past season, the player’s past compensation, the team’s recent performance and comparative baseball salaries.
Gregorius earned himself a nice little raise for 2017 after making $2.4 million last year as a Super Two qualifier. The 26-year-old shortstop hit .276 with 20 home runs and 32 doubles, cementing himself as the Yankees’ everyday shortstop for the near future.
There have been talks that the team may plan on moving either Jacoby Ellsbury or Brett Gardner out of the top of the order for the upcoming season, opening the door for Gregorius or Starlin Castro to move up.
Gregorius has gotten better with each season as a Yankee, so the organization hopes he can keep improving on both sides of the ball for 2017.
Didi gregorius, Yankees settle at $5.1M
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 13, 2017
