Rays players over the last few years have not only won in bunches on the field, but also in front of an arbitration panel. That streak came to an end Saturday.
Left-hander Ryan Yarbrough became the first Rays player to lose an arbitration case against the team in nine years, as a three-person panel ruled against the 29-year-old, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
#Rays won arbitration case vs. Yarbrough, per source, so he will get $2.3M salary. Yarbrough filed for $3.1M
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) February 13, 2021
Yarbrough, eligible for the process this offseason due to reaching the service time needed for “Super Two” status, went 1-4 with 3.56 earned run average in 11 regular season appearances in 2020, including nine starts. He also made five postseason appearances, with a pair of starts, in the team’s run to the World Series, going 1-0 with a 3.68 ERA.
The Rays lost their other arbitration hearing this off-season to Ji-Man Choi, with the first baseman set to make $2.45 million instead of the $1.85 million the team offered.
Tampa Bay had lost its previous five arbitration cases prior to this offseason dating back to 2016, with pitchers Drew Smyly and Jake Odorizzi (twice), shortstop Adeiny Hechaverria and outfielder Tommy Pham all coming out on top. The last Rays player to lose an arbitration case to the team was pitcher Jeff Niemann prior to the 2012 season.
The Rays avoided going to arbitration with three other players, reaching agreements before the deadline with pitcher Tyler Glasnow, infielder Joey Wendle, and outfield Manuel Margot. Glasnow, who is in his second year of arbitration, will get $4 million, while Margot agreed to a $3.4 million deal for his second year post-arbitration. Wendle, who is in his first year of arbitration eligibility, will make $2.25 million.
Steve Carney is the founder and publisher of St. Pete Nine. One of the people most associated with baseball coverage in Tampa Bay, he spent 13 seasons covering the Rays for flagship radio station WDAE, first as producer of Rays Radio broadcasts, then as beat reporter beginning in 2011. He likes new analytics and aged bourbon, and is the owner of one of the ugliest knuckleballs ever witnessed by baseball scouts.
