The Red Sox will have some salary arbitration decisions to make

"Every year, MLB Trade Rumors publishes a list of salary arbitration projections based on an internal model. Thankfully, salary arbitration isn't something Red Sox fans need to get too worked up about. For as much as Sox fans complain about the Fenway Sports Group's obsession with cost efficiency, I can't think of a single instance when the Sox traded a player away because he got too expensive in arbitration, as some truly parsimonious teams make a habit of doing."

"And this is a smart way of doing business, especially when you consider the bad feelings that the arbitration process can engender. After all, salary arbitration often involves teams and players quibbling over a couple million dollars at the absolute most (it was actually less than a million in the case of both the Abad and E-Rod). The Sox can easily dig up that amount of money by turning over a few couch cushions in Aura Pavilion."

MLB Trade Rumors publishes annual salary arbitration projections using an internal model. The Red Sox have rarely used arbitration, appearing in only three cases over 23 years with Fernando Abad (2017), Mookie Betts (2018), and Eduardo Rodriguez (2020). Arbitration amounts are typically modest, often a couple million dollars or less, and the team can absorb those sums without roster disruption. Several current Red Sox players are arbitration-eligible for 2026 with MLB Trade Rumors projections. The practical recommendation is to pay modest arbitration awards for expected contributors, including back-of-the-bullpen relievers, to preserve talent and clubhouse cohesion.

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