Tampa Bay Rays Arbitration Update

Today at 1:00 PM is the deadline for teams and players to come to an agreement for a player’s salary for the 2016 season before having to go before an arbitrator. For the Tampa Bay Rays, entering this week there was a list of 10 players that were going to plead their case to an arbitrator stating that they deserved more than what the team is offering. The list of those 10 players were as follows:

• ·         Alex Cobb- rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
• ·         Jake McGee- coming off a season in which at the beginning and end had injuries
• ·         Erasmo Ramirez- after being acquired from the Mariners in March 2015, had an up and down season. But is showing great promise.
• ·         Drew Smyly- after discovering he had a torn left labrum in May of 2015, spent most of the season attempting to rehab in order to avoid surgery.
• ·         Hank Conger-acquired from the Rays in December 2015 and previously played with the Astros and Angels. Will more than likely split the catching duties at the major league level this year.
• ·         Rene Rivera- only hit .178 in 2015, but is seen as a strong defensive catcher. No definitive role yet as the team brought in Hank Conger and was impressed with Curt Casali’s power display (10 HR) in 2015.
• ·         Logan Forsythe- the team’s MVP for the 2015 season.
• ·         Logan Morrison- newly acquired from the Mariners in November 2015. Should provide more power to a lineup with almost no power threats.
• ·         Brandon Guyer- an outfielder who specializes in hitting against left-handed pitching.
• ·         Desmond Jennings-after suffering continuous leg problems could be the odd man out in an outfield filled with promise.

However, the Rays have made some significant progress over the last 24 hours in agreeing to terms with some of the players. The Rays will continue to talk to players up until the 1:00 PM deadline. Here is a look at some of the agreements known:

• ·         Alex Cobb- 1 year for $4 million (per Jon Heyman)
• ·         Jake McGee- 1 year for $4.8 million (per Jon Heyman)
• ·         Logan Forsythe- 2 years for $10.25 million with option for 2018 (per Marc Topkin)
• ·         Brandon Guyer- 1 year for $1.185 million (per Jon Heyman)
• ·         Desmond Jennings- 1 year deal for $3.3 million (per Marc Topkin)

The big question still remains at catcher with both Conger and Rivera needing to reach an agreement before an arbitration hearing. It will be interesting to see how the Rays will address the catcher situation with the thought of a six man starting rotation.