SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Left-hander Tanner Scott beat the Miami Marlins on Saturday in the year’s final salary arbitration case, leaving players with a 9-6 margin in decisions this year.
Scott was awarded $5.7 million instead of the Marlins’ $5.15 million offer by Robert Herman, John Woods and Allen Ponak, who heard arguments Friday.
Scott, 29, was 9-5 with a 2.31 ERA and 12 saves in 16 chances last season, when he made $2,825,000. He is eligible for free agency after this year’s World Series.
Teams have a 353-266 advantage since arbitration started in 1974.
The 15 hearings were down from 19 last year, when the clubs won 13, but up from 13 in 2022, when teams won nine. Players had a winning record for the first time since going 6-4 in 2019.
A total of 198 players were eligible for arbitration after the November deadline for teams to tender 2024 contracts to unsigned players on their 40-man rosters, and most reached agreements Jan. 11, when teams and players exchanged proposed salaries. The highest deal was a $31 million, one-year contract between Juan Soto and the New York Yankees, who acquired the outfielder from San Diego in December.
Toronto All-Star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. won a $19.9 million salary, the highest in an arbitration decision, when a panel picked his figure rather than the Blue Jays’ $18.05 million offer. That topped the previous high of $14 million for Seattle outfielder Teoscar Hernández after he lost his hearing last year.
Other winners this year were San Francisco third baseman J.D. Davis ($6.9 million vs. $6.55 million), Baltimore outfielder Austin Hays ($6.3 million vs. $5.85 million) and right-hander Jacob Webb ($1 million vs. $925,000), Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward ($4.8 million vs $4.3 million), Houston infielder/outfielder Mauricio Dubón ($3.5 million vs. $3 million) and New York Mets right-hander Phil Bickford ($900,000 vs. $815,000).
Losers included Miami second baseman Luis Arraez ($10.6 million vs. $12 million) and center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. ($2,625,000 vs. $2.9 million), Tampa Bay outfielder Harold Ramírez ($3.8 million vs. $4.3 million) and right-hander Jason Adam ($2.7 million vs. $3.25 million), Los Angeles Angels left-hander José Suarez ($925,000 vs. $1.35 million) and Minnesota infielder/outfielder Nick Gordon ($900,000 vs. $1.25 million).
Adam, Arraez and Ramirez were trying to win for the second straight year. The last players to win hearings in consecutive years were Houston pitcher Collin McHugh in 2017 and ’18, and Cleveland pitcher Trevor Bauer in 2018 and 2019.