UPDATE: Judge signed, Yankees avoid arbitration with all players
Update Saturday 11:30AM: Last night the rest of the numbers trickled in. This table shows each player's 2020 salary as well as how it compares to the projections.
In total, the projections were spot on with only a $190K difference between actual and projected salaries. However, Judge got a HUGE increase over his projection which makes sense considering how important he is to the team and how historically great he has been the past 3 seasons. Gio da Gawd also received a slightly higher than expected salary whereas every other player received less than projected.
More importantly, every arb player is signed and we can avoid the ugliness of any arb hearings like Dellin in 2017.
Update 6:23 PM: Everyone is signed! According to the Yankees themselves...
https://twitter.com/YankeesPR/status/1215766572268236800
And according to Mark Feinsand, Aaron Judge is signed for $8.5 million. That number is $2.1 million more than what MLBTR projected.
Over the past 3 seasons, Judge has hit .279/.401/.572 with a 157 wRC+. That number ranks 3rd in all of baseball behind only Mike Trout and J.D. Martinez.
We'll keep you posted when the numbers for Green and Montgomery come out.
Update 5:10PM: The Yankees have agreed to contracts for 2020 with two more players. According to Mark Feinsand and Jon Heyman, the team has avoided arb hearings with James Paxton and Tommy Kahnle.
Paxton, who was the savior in Game 5 of the ALCS against Houston will make $12.5 million next season in his final year before hitting the free agent market.
Kahnle will make $2.65 million in this upcoming campaign. For what it's worth, both of these numbers are below what MLB Trade Rumors projected. In fact, Gio da Gawd is the only Yankee so far to exceed the projection. Maybe it means nothing or maybe we're getting a massive Judge deal later today? One can only hope.
Update 4:15PM: ...And just like that we have more news. According to Robert Murray, the team has come to terms with reliever Jonathan Holder for $750K. That number is $50K less than what MLB Trade Rumors projected him for. Holder struggled in 2019 pitching to a 6.31 ERA in 41.1 innings, but there are encouraging signs in his underlying numbers with a 4.45 FIP and 3.74 SIERA. Look for him to bounce back in 2020.
Update 3:59PM: The Yankees have come to terms with catcher Gary Sanchez and pitcher Luis Cessa, per Brendan Kuty and Robert Murray.
https://twitter.com/BrendanKutyNJ/status/1215737110860378124
https://twitter.com/ByRobertMurray/status/1215731737491316738
According to Jon Heyman, Sanchez's salary is the second highest for any catcher going through arbitration for the first time.
Sanchez had a resurgent 2019, belting 34 home runs in just 106 games. Hopefully he can remain injury-free this season and truly break out like the Kraken we all know he is.
Cessa filled a long-man/swing-man type role this season, appearing in 43 games and pitching to a 4.11 ERA in 81 innings. As far as long-men go, Cessa offers significant potential.
We'll continue to monitor for any other agreements throughout the day.
BRONX, N.Y. — Per source, third baseman Gio Urshela and the New York Yankees have avoided arbitration, and settled for $2.475 million as the settlements around the league begin to trickle in on this arbitration deadline day.
This is quite the payday for Urshela who rarely saw time in the league until he became an overnight sensation for the Yankees in what was a dream season at the hot corner.
As previously mentioned in this original arbitration deadline piece, Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez are among the headliners to most likely receive settlements today to avoid arbitration. Six others, which include start James Paxton, are also seeking settlements, as well.
The Yankees have yet to announce any other agreements at this time. Check back for any updates throughout the day on the plethora of deals that are sure to be made.