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- Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2013 4:00 pm
I've had 4 beers at 10.5 ABV so I'm probably off base here, but after looking this over, it seems to me that you can only renew if the guy makes more than the section 9.5 salary scale. If the guy makes less than the scale, then you have to go to arbitration, extend, or cut, renewal is not an option. Which for some reason kind of makes sense?
The examples that got me thinking(?) are my E. Rosario and Davies. Rosario is at $2.81, and Davies $2.42, both are 5 years service time. So I can't renew them at those salaries because minimally a 5 year guy gets $3 M. These guys make less than the minimum; therefore for 2020, I've got to arb them, extend them for at least 5 years, or FA them. If one or both made more than the minimum, then the renew option comes into play.
I effed up the arbitration rule. The problem is that the owner can't really win arbitration as Rosario and Davies are going to cost a lot more, at least $4 mil, even if the owner wins. Let's say you take Davies to arbitration and his 2020 card is worth $1.25. You still end up paying $4 mil for him because of the minimum salary rules.
The only players you would ever take to arbitration are players with salaries well above the minimum salary, however that situation cannot occur after the draft. Once we move on from the draft, the salary structure will be determined entirely by the player development and free agency processes. Essentially the arbitration choice will apply to the draft class of players only. This is why I think we need to revise the arbitration rule going forward (i.e. before next season).
For now, I think the only thing that makes sense is to allow owners to re-sign this current class of arb eligible draftees at their current salary or the league minimum, or take them to arbitration, and then fix the arbitration rule. There are 59 drafted arbitration eligible players with salaries below the league minimum salary, many of whom will be dropped because they are likely deemed not worth the league minimum.
Phil