It’s been a busy couple weeks in terms of players having their arbitration years bought out by their respective teams. The Chicago White Sox recently signed Adam Eaton to a five-year extension, Christian Yelich signed a seven-year deal with the Miami Marlins to wipe out his arbitration and Brian Dozier inked a four-year deal to keep him in Minnesota. Reports are also indicating that New York Mets’ outfielder Juan Lagares is close to an agreement with the team on a four-year deal.
Since this seems to be a common theme, let’s look at a few other players who could bypass their arbitration years by signing an extension.
Henderson Alvarez – Miami Marlins
Over the last decade or so, the Miami Marlins have been unwilling to spend money to better their organization. And if they did manage to put up the cash, the team would soon trade away their wealthy players. But change seems to be in the Miami air, as is evident by the Marlins giving Giancarlo Stanton a 13-year, $325 million deal and extending Yelich.
This is why Henderson Alvarez may be the next Marlin to skip his last two years of arbitration. The Marlins named him the Opening Day starter, which shows they clearly value him, his ERA has gone down in three consecutive seasons, and he’s just 24 years old. Granting him an extension now would be cheaper than offering him a free agent contract in 2018, especially if he continues to improve.
HOUSTON, TX – SEPTEMBER 03: Chris Carter #23 of the Houston Astros hits a home run in the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Minute Maid Park on September 3, 2014 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
Chris Carter – Houston Astros
It seems like the Astros are always rebuilding, am I right? But the time for them to start making a positive impact on the AL West standings is fast approaching, and Chris Carter is a big reason why. Carter isn’t eligible for free agency until 2019, but the Astros might want to start thinking about locking him down before his arbitration salary continues to climb higher and higher.
Carter is not known for his batting average, but his weighted on-base average and weighted runs created have been above league average for the last three seasons, mainly because of his power (38 home runs in 2014). Despite his offensive prominence, however, the Astros may not be inclined to offer him an extension because of his age (28). Twenty-eight is quite old for a player about to enter just his second arbitration year and that may give Houston pause. In all likelihood, the Astros will wait at least two more seasons before seriously thinking about extending him.
PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 10: Tyson Ross #38 of the San Diego Padres pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning of their game on August 10, 2014 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by David Maxwell/Getty Images)
Tyson Ross – San Diego Padres
Tyson Ross hits free agency in 2018, but after being worth 1.9 fWAR in 2013 and 3.2 fWAR in 2014, the time is now for the Padres to make Ross a part of their long-term future. The Padres seemingly have a bright future with all the offensive weapons they gathered this offseason, not to mention acquiring pitcher James Shields. Inking Ross to a long-term deal would shine an even brighter light on that future.
Ross is currently slated as the Padres No. 3 starter, which makes him one of the best middle-of-the-rotation pitchers in baseball. In fact, he outpitched Shields in terms of fWAR last season. If the Padres were willing to give $75 million to a 33-year-old pitcher in Shields, they should be willing to spend on Ross, who happens to be six years younger.
