Two Astros Possibly Heading To Arbitration

Yesterday a couple of issues were announced to the public. The non-roster invitees were revealed along with the players that have filed for salary arbitration to take place in February. Throughout MLB, 146 players have submitted a salary proposal for the 2014 season. Jason Castro and Jesus Guzman are the two Astros that could have their contract settled through this process.

Yes. It is a process. Baseball is full of processes on the field and there are a plethora of business decisions during the offseason. Arbitration is one of those business decisions that requires a third party for a compromise. A player will submit a proposed salary for the following season and the club argues their figure against the players’ in an arbitration hearing.

Most arbitration eligible players have 3 to 6 years of MLB service time. But some are in the top 22% of players with two years of service time. These players are regarded as having achieved “super-two” status. Castro falls in the first category with three years and 104 days while Guzman is “Super 2” with two years and 151 days of service time in the major leagues.

Earlier in the offseason, MLB Trade Rumors had a series of posts regarding arbitration. Matt Swartz is credited with developing the tool that gives an estimate for each player’s individual case in arbitration. When the series was initially analyzed, Jason Castro and Trevor Crowe were predicted to earn $2.2 million and $700k, respectively, through this process.

As with every offseason, there have been several minor moves that have payroll implications. One is that Trevor Crowe was granted minor league free agency. He has since signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers.

Jeff Luhnow

(David Manning-USA TODAY Sports)

It is interesting how the Astros acquired the player expected to platoon with Brett Wallace. The San Diego Padres received Ryan Jackson in return for Guzman. Shortly before this trade, Ryan Jackson had been claimed off of waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals. MLBTR also predicted that Guzman could get close to double what Crowe may have received in arbitration with $1.3 million.

But the biggest deal the Astros have in place is Jason Castro. Will he come to an agreement before his hearing? If the Astros and Castro come together, would it be an extension? Or will Castro receive close to a $2 million pay raise in salary arbitration?

All of our questions will be answered soon enough. But for now we can all wait for more boring additions.