The MLB arbitration system is one of the most complicated parts of every offseason. So, if you’re wondering why the heck these young star players (i.e. Mookie Betts, Jacob deGrom, and Kris Bryant) signed one-year deals on Friday, we’ve got you covered.
Beginning after a player’s third season and before his sixth, a player is eligible for salary arbitration. In order to avoid an MLB arbitration hearing before a panel of arbiters, teams and players must agree to a contract before the mid-January deadline.
Friday, at 1PM ET, that deadline came and went, and any arbitration-eligible players not signed before the deadline now faces an arbitration hearing come sometime February.
That is why we saw so many odd 1-year contracts being doled out.
Not every player was able to come to an agreement with their teams before Friday’s deadline, however.
So, before we cover all of the players who managed to agree on a contract with their teams, and there were quite a few, let’s go over some of the players who didn’t.
Here are the ones you need to know about: