Baseball is a great distraction. And while distractions from real life are great, weeks like this show just how meaningless a bunch of guys throwing a ball around really is. I genuinely hope you all are safe and I can’t express my admiration for our firefighters enough.
So, with acknowledgment of what really matters done, let’s get to the distraction that is baseball.
Yesterday was the deadline for arbitration eligible players and teams to reach an agreement on their 2025 salaries. If such an agreement could not be completed, the two sides would file their desired numbers and head to an arbitration meeting over the coming weeks.
It is important to note the arbitrator must decide between the two numbers and can not formulate a number of their own. So, if the player files for $5 million and the team counters with $4 million those are the two options. A compromise of $4.5 million is not allowed. As a result of this risk to both sides, compromise is common as the deadline approaches.
Tons of deals were reached across MLB yesterday.
For their part, the Angels had a really productive day.
It is fairly notable that Ward agreed at $7.825 million as he was projected by MLBTR for a $9.2 million salary. This will also impact his earning power next year on his final trip through arbitration. It also made his trade value just a little higher if the Angels are leaning that way.
As for the remaining players:
Jose Quijada filed at $1.14 million with the team filing a $975k.
Mickey Moniak filed at $2 million with the team filing at $1.5 million.
And Luis Rengifo filed at $5.9 million with the Angels at $5.8 million. It is mind boggling to me that two sides couldn’t bridge a $150k gap.
All in all 17 players exchanged figures with clubs this season. The two most notable gaps are in Milwaukee and Chicago. Brewers backstop Wilson Contreras filed at $6.5 million with the Brewers at $5.6 million. Meanwhile Kyle Tucker and the Cubs are a full $2.5 million apart; Tucker at $17.5 million and the Cubs at $15 million.
In less pleasant news, Mike Trout will be deposed in the Tyler Skaggs wrongful death suit. The Skaggs family is hoping Mike will state the Angels brass knew about Kay’s drug dealing and the opiods flying around the locker room.
Hat tip to Cowboy26 for pulling up this link showing the dirty laundry that was aired during Kay’s federal trial. That’s your longform reading this weekend. Trout has previously stated he was unaware of Skaggs drug use but will be under oath on Wednesday.
The real story isn’t Trout, though. It is whether Team Arte is intentionally withholding evidence.
There are a lot of suppositions about this case. Whether Tyler was an addict, a guy who partied too hard, or somewhere in between his death is a great example of the margin of error when it comes to fentanyl: zero. If you need help with pain killer dependence, please get it.
Settling arbitration figures often leads to more player activity. Teams know their budgets and trading partners know exactly what they are getting.
Now that the Padres have agreed to a deal with batting champ Luis Arraez, the rumor mill surrounding him has picked up.
SI updated their list of free agent predictions and envisions an old friend returning. I’d bet otherwise.
Most of us expect a reliever or two to be added to the roster. The main site looked at the state of the current bullpen and that only added to my belief a new reliever or two will be signed.
One story that I’m following is the emergence of former highly rated Padres prospect Hans Crouse. The slider is wicked and maybe, just maybe Perry found a diamond in the rough here.
Much to the chagrin of our old pitching coach, though, the era of the slider might be coming to an end. That’s a pretty good look at pitch usage across baseball.
There was one addition for our Halos this week. Connor Brogdon will be in camp on a minors deal. For a while there he was filthy with Philly and he dominated in college. Hopefully he’s healthy and back to throwing these darts.
But if the Angels do make a “big splash” in free agency and give up the 46th overall pick in the draft, how valuable is that pick?
MLB execs took a poll on everything from drafting to farm systems. The Angels were picked as being under rated in one key department. Can you guess what it is?
The farm system will get a boost next Wednesday when the international signing period begins.
Here’s a primer on the top 50 prospects expected to sign next week.
Not coincidentally, the Roki Sasaki signing will take place by the end of next Friday ensuring him the full allotment of some team’s signing pool. I’d love to see the Padres pull this off, but life is hard so I expect him up the 5 wearing blue.
That being said, both the Dodgers and Padres have done well scouting internationally and one of them is likely going to leave an entire class available to be poached. I hope Perry keeps a million or so tucked away and snags one of their top targets.
From around baseball:
The A’s spent more money this week, extending Brent Rooker for 5 years and $60 million. Why are they spending money after leaving Oakland?
A couple of years ago Diego Cartaya was one of the top prospects in baseball. Last week he was DFA’d and this week he was traded to the Twins for a high octane 20 year old arm.
Justin Verlander will continue to wear orange, agreeing to a one year deal with San Francisco. Here’s a nice piece on why this deal makes sense for Verlander and SF Giants head honcho Buster Posey.
I really wish there was more baseball news to link but arbitration week is a huge deal. Enjoy some football while we wait for camps to open. I’m taking the boy to the Pacific Symphony as he’s a huge classical music fan. We have a 3 concert mini plan and it makes for a great father/son outing.
Be safe, be thankful if you are safe, and link what I missed below.