What came of the 17 players who swapped numbers with their teams?
Back in January, teams and players who did not agree to deals in arbitration passed the deadline for exchanging figures in advance of potential arbitration hearings. This year, 17 players didn’t come to agreements with their teams by that deadline, but sides could still negotiate after that—the Brewers had one such player, William Contreras, with whom they agreed to a two-year deal on February 1—so some of those situations were cleared up before an arbitration hearing.
As we have reached the beginning of spring training, those hearings have occurred, and contracts have been settled. Here is a quick recap of where those contracts ended up around the league.
First, we’ll quickly recap the Brewers’ situation. As mentioned, the only arbitration-eligible Brewer who did not agree to a contract before the January 9 deadline was All-MLB catcher William Contreras. However, the sides came to terms on February 1 on a two-year deal in which he’ll earn $6 million in 2025 with a club option for 2026 at $12 million. That contract does not buy out any of Contreras’s free agency, as the club still has him under control through the 2027 season, but it means that they can exercise the option and avoid the arbitration process next offseason.
Here’s a quick note of the rest of the players who hadn’t agreed as of the January 9 deadline and where they ended up (with the exception of Nathaniel Lowe, whose hearing was today and won’t be decided until tomorrow):
- Luis Rengifo (filed at $5.95 million, Angels at $5.8m) – Rengifo won hearing
- Mickey Moniak (filed at $2m, Angels at $1.5m) – Moniak won hearing
- Jose Quijada (filed at $1.14m, Angels at $975,000) – agreed to 1yr, $1.075m deal with $3.75m club option for 2026
- Brendan Donovan (filed at $3.3m, Cardinals at $2.85m) – Cardinals won hearing (Donovan was not exactly happy)
- Lars Nootbaar (filed at $2.95m, Cardinals at $2.45m) – Nootbaar won hearing
- Andre Pallante (filed at $2.1m, Cardinals at $1.925m) – Pallante won hearing
- Kyle Tucker (filed at $17.5m, Cubs at $15m) – sides agreed to 1yr, $16.5m deal
- Alex Vesia (filed at $2.35m, Dodgers at $2.05m) – agreed to 1yr, $2.25m deal with $3.55m club option (and $50,000 buyout) for 2026
- Nathaniel Lowe (filed at $11.1m, Nationals at $10.3m) – sides argued on Friday, decision expected Saturday
- Jorge Mateo (filed at $4m, Orioles at $3.1m) – sides agreed to 1yr, $3.55m deal with $5.5m club option for 2026
- Michael King (filed at $8.8m, Padres at $7.325m) – sides agreed to a deal that pays King $4m in 2025 with a $15m mutual option and $3.75m buyout (with a potential for $400,000 in escalators) in 2026
- Dennis Santana (filed at $2.1m, Pirates at $1.4m) – Pirates won hearing
- Johan Oviedo (filed at $1.15m, Pirates at $850,000) – Pirates won hearing
- Taylor Walls (filed at $1.575m, Rays at $1.3m) – sides agreed to a 1yr, $1.35m deal with $2.45m club option (and $50,000 buyout) in 2026
- Jarren Duran (filed at $4m, Red Sox at $3.5m) – sides agreed to a 1yr, $3.75m deal with $8m club option (and $100,000 buyout) in 2026
- Mark Leiter Jr. (filed at $2.5m, Yankees at $2.05m) – Yankees won hearing
So a quick recap: of the 17 players who didn’t reach a deal by the January 9 deadline, eight of them agreed to deals before a hearing. Of the nine who went to hearings, there is still one unresolved (Lowe), the players won in four cases, and the team won in four cases. Pretty split bag overall.