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Seattle Mariners Edwin Diaz among a number hurt by Super 2 cutoff

By Benjamin Chase

PHOENIX, AZ - AUGUST 25: Edwin "Sugar" Diaz #39 of the Seattle Mariners delivers a pitch against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on August 25, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. All players across MLB will wear nicknames on their backs as well as colorful, non-traditional uniforms featuring alternate designs inspired by youth-league uniforms during Players Weekend. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - AUGUST 25: Edwin "Sugar" Diaz #39 of the Seattle Mariners delivers a pitch against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on August 25, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. All players across MLB will wear nicknames on their backs as well as colorful, non-traditional uniforms featuring alternate designs inspired by youth-league uniforms during Players Weekend. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /
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Major League Baseball announced the “Super 2” cutoff for arbitration today, and Seattle Mariners closer Edwin Diaz found himself on the wrong side of it.

Seattle Mariners closer Edwin Diaz had a big 2018 season. He pitched to a 1.96 ERA over 73 1/3 innings with 57 saves, posting a 0.79 WHIP and a 17/124 BB/K ratio. He was hoping that performance would set him up for a big payday in arbitration.

On Thursday, Major League Baseball announced their Super 2 cutoff for arbitration, which determines which players with less than 3 full seasons would be eligible for arbitrations that season. Each season multiple players are either given a chance to make a significant pay raise or denied for one season based on where that date falls.

In a cutoff that is the highest in a half-decade, meaning that players would have had to spend the most time on a major league roster to qualify since 2012 with today’s 2 years, 134 day cutoff.

The players who benefitted most from the number this season are Washington’s Trea Turner, who barely made it over the number with 2 years, 135 days of service. Other players that made the number by a matter of a few days were Matthew Boyd of the Detroit Tigers, who had 2 years, 136 days of service time, and two players who landed exactly at 2 years, 134 days, Atlanta Braves reliever Jacob Lindgren and Chicago Cubs reliever Carl Edwards, Jr.

Those who missed the deadline include the Seattle Mariners Diaz who fell 13 days short with 2 years, 121 days of service time. Andrew Triggs of the Oakland Athletics, Austin Barnes of the Dodgers, Mallex Smith of the Rays, Justin Miller of the Nationals, Matt Bush of the Rangers, and Scott Schebler of the Reds all fell short. Bush and Schebler were the two closest cases, with both of them coming just two days short, with 2 years and 132 days of service time.

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Often teams will reward their players in the offseason with contracts that befit a low-end arbitration figure. Perhaps the Seattle Mariners will take care of Diaz in that manner.

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