"It's an acrimonious process that can lead to bruised egos and eroding trust, something we saw with Corbin Burnes in Milwaukee a few years back. It wasn't until Justin Grimm made the questionable decision to push back on the Cubs' number that Epstoyer had to see the process to its conclusion. Grimm predictably lost his case and the Cubs have since had several more instances in which they didn't settle with players ahead of the initial deadline to do so."
"The most recent of those was with Kyle Tucker, who was still getting used to his new situation following the big trade that brought him to Chicago. Though the two sides eventually settled on a $16.5 million salary without the need for arbitration, the Cubs being $2.5 million shy of Tucker's initial ask didn't set a particularly rosy precedent. Projections had him getting around $16 million, with Tucker asking for $17.5 million and the Cubs filing at $15 million."
"With that in mind, it seemed entirely likely that the Cubs might try to lowball Edward Cabrera just a day after acquiring him in yet another buzzy swap. Instead, the two sides agreed to a $4.45 million salary that came in about $750,000 above MLB Trade Rumors' projection. Justin Steele likewise got more than his projected figure, coming in at $225K above. Javier Assad was slightly under, but $100K isn't egregious."
The Cubs historically avoided taking eligible players to arbitration under Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer. Arbitration can damage trust and egos, as seen with Corbin Burnes and the Justin Grimm hearing. Grimm lost his case, and the Cubs subsequently had multiple instances of not settling before deadlines. Kyle Tucker ultimately settled for $16.5 million after asking $17.5 million and the Cubs filing $15 million; projections were around $16 million. After trading for Edward Cabrera, the Cubs agreed to $4.45 million, about $750,000 above projections. Justin Steele received $225K above projection and Javier Assad was $100K under. Hoyer saved roughly $16 million in AAV by trading for Cabrera instead of signing a top free agent.
Read at Cubsinsider
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