MLB Roundup: 17 players are heading to arbitration

Also heading to arbitration this winter is Nate Lowe with the Nationals, who are $900K apart in their respective offers. The first baseman was acquired by Washington on December 10th in a six-player exchange with the Rangers acquiring three position-player prospects in return. This is Lowe’s third time through the process but his first time slated for the meeting. He will be eligible for free agency after the 2026 season, as he is a Super 2 Player and will go through it four times versus the regular three due to his service time accumulation.

Angels and Cardinals both exchange figures with three players

The Los Angeles Angels and St. Louis Cardinals have some work to do before the start of the season. Both teams are heading to arbitration with three players respectively, as both the Angels and Cardinals are known as ‘file and trial’ teams in that they exchange figures and if they don’t align, they head to arbitration. The smallest difference is between L.A. and reliever Jose Quijada at $1965K while the biggest difference is a tie between Mickey Moniak (Angels) and Lars Nootbar (Cardinals), who are both $500K apart in their negotiations.

Out of the group, infielder Luis Rengifo is the only member who has gone to arbitration before – he won his case against the Angels in 2023, earning $2.3 million for the year compared to the $2.0 million the Angels offered. All three Cardinals players are eligible for arbitration for the first time in their respective careers (welcome to the process!) while this is Moniak’s first foray with arbitration as well.

Everybody but the Blue Jays in the AL East has a date with arbitration

The AL East will be widely represented this go around – every squad within the division except for the Blue Jays has a date with the arbitration panel in the next couple of months.

The Orioles will go to trial with defensive specialist Jorge Mateo, the Rays have a meeting with Taylor Walls, the Yankees have exchanged numbers with reliever Mark Leiter Jr., and the Red Sox will meet with outfielder Jarren Duran, who is looking to capitalize on his All-Star worthy campaign in his first go through the arbitration process. Leiter Jr. would be the first Yankee to head to arbitration since 2017 (Dellin Betances).

The Padres add to their offseason drama

The San Diego Padres are currently slated for arbitration as well, with right-hander Michael King and the Padres unable to find common ground amidst a $1.475 million difference between respective offers. This is just another layer in a complicated offseason that has followed the Padres, as the club’s division rivals continue to get better while San Diego has stood pat throughout the winter outside of some minor league deals. King was one of the main pieces of the trade between New York and San Diego that saw Juan Soto take his talents to the Big Apple.

On top of the lack of activity, the club is also embroiled in a legal battle internally, with Sheel Seidler, the wife of late investor and former team control person Peter Seidler, filing a lawsuit against his brothers (Matt, Robert, and John) for attempting a complete family takeover of the organization. The Padres are looking to make John Seidler become the control person for the organization, which Sheel Seidler is trying to prevent as she believes that she should be in control given a written letter from her late husband stating his preference of having his wife be in charge after his passing (as well as other arguments related to the breaching of the trust and financial obligations with Peter’s estate).