M’s Hernandez loses in arbitration, teams go 13-6 vs players

NEW YORK – NEW YORK (AP) – Seattle outfielder Teoscar Hernández was one of five players to lose their pay arbitration cases on Saturday, and Los Angeles Angels outfielder Hunter Renfroe won as the teams finished with a 13th : 6 advantage in the decisions ended.

Angels infielders Gio Urshela, Tampa Bay relievers Colin Poche and Ryan Thompson, and St. Louis relievers Génesis Cabrera also lost their cases.

The teams won the majority of decisions for the fourth consecutive year and have a record 347–257 since arbitration began in 1974.

Hernández, who was acquired by the Toronto Mariners in November, will receive $14 million in lieu of his $16 million demand after a hearing Friday before Mark Burstein, John Woods and Howard Edelman. The previous high for an arbitration that resulted in a decision was $13.5 million from pitcher Gerrit Cole in his 2019 win over Houston and from pitcher Max Fried in his loss to Atlanta this year.

Renfroe gets $11.9 million instead of the Angels’ offer of $11.25 million. His hearing before Melinda Gordon, Scott Buchheit and John Stout was the first of the year on January 30, but the decision was held until Hernández’s case was decided.

Urshela gets $8.4 million instead of $10 million after a hearing before Fredric Horowitz, Jeanne Charles and Stephen Raymond on Wednesday.

Thompson gets $1 million instead of $1.2 million in a case heard by Stout, Raymond and Allen Ponak on February 6, and Poche gets $1,175,000 instead of $1.3 million after disputes on February 7 John Woods, Jeanne Vonhof and Walt De Treux, The $125,000 gap between Poche and the Rays was the smallest among the 33 cases at the time the proposed numbers were exchanged on Jan. 13.

Tampa Bay split four decisions, previously losing to outfielder Harold Ramírez ($2.2 million) and reliever Jason Adam ($1,775,000).

Cabrera will receive $950,000 instead of $1.15 million after a hearing before Jules Bloch, Buchheit and Horowitz on Friday.

The 19 hearings this year were up from 13 last year and the most since 22 in 2018. The hearings were held in person in St. Petersburg, Fla., after two years of Zoom sessions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

Agreements were reached without hearings among the players who traded 14 numbers with their teams on Jan. 13.

Approximately 200 players were eligible for arbitration during the week of the exchange. Eleven players received multi-year contracts, topped by Houston pitcher Cristian Javier on a five-year contract and Jeff McNeil of the Mets and Jeffrey Springs of Tampa Bay on four years each.

Tampa Bay’s Yandy Díaz and Pete Fairbanks agreed to a three-year contract with Philadelphia’s Jose Alvarado, Toronto’s Bo Bichette, Seattle’s Dylan Moore and Minnesota’s Chris Paddack. Seranthony Domínguez of the Phillies and Tony Gonsolin of the Dodgers each got two years.

The 30-year-old Hernández, a 2021 All-Star, hit .267 for Toronto with 25 homers and 77 RBIs in 131 games last season and was then traded to Seattle for minor league right-hander Erik Swanson and left-hander Adam Macko .

Renfroe hit a .255 with 29 homers and 72 RBIs for Milwaukee last season, down from a .259 average, 31 homers and 96 RBIs for Boston in 2021. The 31-year-old was picked up by the Angels in November for right-hander Janson and Junk Elvis Peguero and minor league leftist Adam Seminaris.

Urshela, 31, hit .285 with 13 home runs and 64 RBIs for Minnesota last season, which traded him to the Angels for minor league right-hander Alejandro Hidalgo on Nov. 18. Urshela earned $6.55 million.

Thompson, a 30-year-old right-hander, was 3-3 with a 3.80 ERA in 47 relief appearances over the past year, striking out 39 and walking 11 in 42 2/3 innings. Poche, a 29-year-old left-hander, underwent surgery by Tommy John on July 29, 2020 and returned to the major leagues on April 22 after six appearances with Triple-A Durham. Poche was 4-2 with a 3.99 ERA and seven saves in 65 relief appearances for the Rays. He struck out 64 and went 22 in 58 2/3 innings.

Cabrera, a 26-year-old left-hander, won 4-2 with a 4.63 ERA in 39 relief games.