Scratch the possibility of a potentially divisive salary-arbitration hearing from the Royals’ spring itinerary.
The club avoided that possibility Thursday afternoon by reaching one-year agreements with outfielder Mark Teahen and pitcher Zack Greinke. Both received hefty raises in their first year of arbitration eligibility, a typical occurrence in baseball’s financial structure.
Teahen, 26, will make $2.3375 million, up from $416,000 in 2007, after batting .285 with seven homers and 60 RBIs. Greinke, 24, jumped from $407,000 to $1.4 million after going 7-7 with a 3.69 ERA in 52 appearances.
Both players acknowledged relief at avoiding an arbitration hearing, where their attendance is mandatory under terms of baseball’s labor agreement.
“I really didn’t want to have to go to that,” said Greinke, who had sought $1.8 million against a club offer of $1.15 million. “If there wasn’t a reasonable deal, I guess I would have had to, but I really wanted to avoid that.”
Teahen submitted a $2.9 million bid to the arbitrator against a club offer of $1.9 million. Hearings for both players were scheduled for later this month.
“It’s good for both sides to avoid that process,” Teahen said. “The way I understand it, the team has to go in and convince an arbitrator that you’re not worth what you’re asking for, and you have to prove that you are.
“Obviously, it’s not fun to sit there and have someone bash on you. That’s what ends up happening in arbitration cases. The team doesn’t like doing that. The guy doesn’t like hearing it. So I think it’s good for everyone to avoid going through that.”
Greinke’s deal also contains performance bonuses that could add $125,000. He gets an additional $25,000 each if he pitches 160, 175 and 190 innings. He gets a further $50,000 if he pitches 215 innings.
Teahen and Greinke were the last of the club’s 12 potential arbitration cases to be resolved. The Royals now have 17 players from their 40-man roster under contract for the upcoming season for a guaranteed $54.85 million.
The remaining 23 players have less than three years of big-league service, which means their contracts can be renewed unilaterally by the club if negotiations fail to produce an agreement.
“There are certainly much bigger distractions, potentially, in the baseball world (than an arbitration hearing),” general manager Dayton Moore said. “But you want to come in spring training with everything all cleaned up and ready to go.
“This way, our focus is on evaluating our baseball team and getting them ready to play.”
Spring camp opens Wednesday when pitchers and catchers are required to report to the club’s complex in Surprise, Ariz. The first full-squad workout is Feb. 19.
($54.85 million for 17 players)
| OF Jose Guillen | $12 million |
| RHP Gil Meche | $11 million |
| 2B Mark Grudzielanek | $4.5 million |
| LHP Ron Mahay | $4 million |
| RHP Brett Tomko | $3 million |
| OF David DeJesus | $2.5 million |
| RHP Yasuhiko Yabuta | $2.5 million |
| OF Mark Teahen | $2.3375 million |
| LHP John Bale | $2.2 million |
| C John Buck | $2.2 million |
| C Miguel Olivo | $2.1 million |
| RHP Zack Greinke | $1.4 million |
| LHP Jimmy Gobble | $1.3125 million |
| 1B/OF Ross Gload | $1.3 million |
| LHP Jorge De La Rosa | $1.025 million |
| INF Esteban German | $1 million |
| RHP Luke Hudson | $475,000 |
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