Thursday marked arbitration salary filing day in Major League Baseball, the deadline for teams and their arbitration-eligible players to file salary figures for the 2025 season. Specifically, the deadline to file was 8 p.m. ET, with a soft 1 p.m. ET deadline for contract agreements.
In short, players filed the salary they believed they should be paid in 2025, and teams filed the salary they believed the players should be paid in 2025. If they do not agree, they will go to an arbitration hearing where each side will state their case, and a three-person panel will pick either the salary the player filed or the salary the team filed. Nothing in between. Arbitration hearings will begin later this month.
The vast majority of arbitration-eligible players sign one-year contracts for the coming season prior to the filing deadline. Only a handful actually file salary figures, and even fewer go to a hearing. Hearings can be contentious (Corbin Burnes said he was “hurt” by his hearing with the Brewers in 2023) and both sides try to avoid them whenever possible.
Players with 3-6 years of service time are eligible for arbitration. So too are players in the top 22% of service time between 2-3 years. Those players are called Super Twos and go through arbitration four times rather than the usual three. The Super Two cutoff was two years and 132 days of service time this offseason (commonly written as 2.132).
Generally speaking, arbitration salaries are based on comparable players at the same service time level. A player with three years of service time who outperformed a player with six years of service time could have a lower 2025 salary because of, well, service time. Service time matters in arbitration. It’s not purely about performance.
Here now are the notable signings — and non-signings — from Thursday’s arbitration salary filing deadline.
Guerrero avoids arbitration with $28.5 million deal
The most notable development on Thursday saw the Blue Jays and star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. agree to a $28.5 million figure to avoid arbitration, according to Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi.
Guerrero, a year away from free agency, beat the Blue Jays in an arbitration hearing last offseason. MLB Trade Rumors projected a $29.6 million salary for Guerrero, and while he didn’t quite reach that figure, he did nonetheless agree to one of the largest one-year contracts ever for an arbitration-eligible player.
Here are the largest one-year contracts for arbitration-eligible players:
- Juan Soto, 2024 Yankees: $31 million
- Shohei Ohtani, 2023 Angels: $30 million
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 2025 Blue Jays: 28.5 million
- Mookie Betts, 2020 Dodgers: $27 million
- Nolan Arenado, 2019 Rockies: $26 million
Guerrero is a Super Two and he earned $42.3 million total in his first three arbitration years from 2022-24. His 2025 salary will push his career earnings over $70 million for his four arbitration years. The record for most money earned through arbitration is Soto’s $79.6 million in his four years as a Super Two from 2021-24.
Padres sign Arraez and Cease
It has been a very quiet offseason for the Padres, who have discord at the ownership level and an estimated 2025 payroll that is nearly $20 million higher than their 2024 payroll. Luis Arraez and Dylan Cease, two players entering their final season of team control, are both on the trade block as San Diego seeks to lower payroll and free up money to address other roster needs (left field, catcher, back of the rotation, etc.). On Thursday, the Padres agreed to 2025 contracts with Arraez ($14 million) and Cease ($13.75 million), which does not take them off the trade block. It only means their 2025 salaries are locked in, and interested trade partners now know exactly how much they’ll make this coming season. Eliminating the salary uncertainty could spark trade talks.
Crochet, Donovan talking extensions
Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet ($3.8 million) was among the players to agree to one-year contracts prior to Thursday’s deadline, and a longer term deal could be coming. Crochet and the Red Sox have discussed a multi-year extension. The Cardinals and super utility man Brendan Donovan have done the same, per MLB.com, but the two sides were unable to reach a deal Thursday and will instead exchange salary figures. Even after signing his 2025 contract, Crochet (and any arbitration-eligible player) can still work out a long-term extension. He and the Red Sox can sign an extension that begins in 2026 or even rip up their 2025 contract and enter into the long-term deal right away. Thursday’s deadline does not mean it’s too late to sign a multi-year extension.
Other notables
Several dozen players go through the arbitration process each offseason.
After the Thursday deadline, several players agreed to a 2025 contract worth at least $7 million. Some of the notable players who signed contracts include Framber Valdez of the Astros for $18 million, Zac Gallen of the Diamondbacks for $13.5 million, and Randy Arozarena of the Mariners for $11.3 million. Other players who signed contracts include Josh Naylor, Tarik Skubal, Ranger Suárez, Brady Singer, and more.
It is important to note that all players who signed before the deadline will receive fully guaranteed contracts for the season. In the past, pre-arbitration and arbitration contracts were not guaranteed, but now players who sign before the filing deadline will receive their full salary for the season.
On the other hand, there are several players who were unable to agree to contracts before the deadline. These players may still sign contracts in the coming weeks or go to arbitration hearings. Some of the players who did not agree to contracts include William Contreras, Brendan Donovan, Jarren Duran, Michael King, and more.
Overall, the deadline saw a mix of players agreeing to contracts and others still in negotiations, setting the stage for an exciting 2025 season. sentence: Please rewrite the sentence so I can better understand it.