Breaking Down How Salary Arbitration Functions in MLB

Each year, hundreds of millions of dollars are doled out to players that are part of the salary arbitration process in Major League Baseball. This year, 111 eligible players filed for salary arbitration, and by mid-February all of them will have reached new contracts either through negotiations with their respective clubs, or through rulings by an arbitration panel. While many have heard of the process, the details aren?t widely published. With arbitration season in MLB in full swing, here?s a breakdown of the process. History Many have said that the breaking of the Reserve Clause is the greatest advancement for the players, but Marvin Miller, the former executive director for the MLB Players Association, has said that salary arbitration did more for advancing the salaries and rights of the players. Before 1973, players were offered a contract by the clubs they played for, and it was a matter of ?take it, or leave it.? In an attempt to challenge the Reserve Clause, as well as l...