On the heels of the record (by Rays standards, that is) $14MM signing of David Price, the Rays have avoided the arbitration process altogether, agreeing Friday with all six remaining arbitration-eligible players prior to the 1:00 PM deadline.
Tampa Bay agreed to deals with:
Jake McGee – $1.45MM
Jeremy Hellickson – $3.625MM
Sean Rodriguez – $1.475MM
Jośe Lobaton – $950K
Cesar Ramos – $749,750K
Matt Joyce – $3.7MM
The amounts agreed upon, don’t deviate much from the projected totals:
Jake McGee – $1.2MM
Jeremy Hellickson – $3.3MM
Sean Rodriguez – $1.3MM
Jośe Lobaton – $1MM
Cesar Ramos – $700K
Matt Joyce – $3.7MM
Without having to participate in any type of arbitration hearings this go around, the Rays have yet to lose an arbitration case with Friedman as GM.
We’ll have more on this later.