Tater Talk: 2045.002 – Quiet Arbitration Season Signals Start of Spuds’ Off-Season

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Tater Talk: 2045.002 – Quiet Arbitration Season Signals Start of Spuds’ Off-Season

Post by jleddy » Sun Nov 15, 2020 12:03 am

Image Boise's first major order of off-season business, salary arbitration, is in the books. Under the now five-plus season tenure of GM Joe Lederer, this off-season’s arbitration cases were substantially less than years past. Lederer only had three players potentially up for arbitration, down from the previous low of ten from last off-season.

The team immediately non-tendered two of the three players, RP Juan De La Cruz and CF Dani Morse. De La Cruz was used only sparringly in the majors last year, but held his own amongst a disasterous bullpen, going 1-1 with a sub-4.00 ERA in 20 innings. Estimates had De La Cruz likely making less than $1M but Lederer told the Baseball News Network that they are other players in the system with greater upside that the team would rather give a roster spot to. Lederer said he’s offered De La Cruz a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training but representatives for De La Cruz believe he will eventually sign a guaranteed deal, even if it means heading to the UMEBA.

Morse was signed as a free agent in the 2043-2044 off-season as a fifth outfielder and saw little action in the first-half of this year as a pinch hitter and defensive specialist. Morse was thrust into major playing time when Dennis French was lost for the year in August after breaking his hand making a diving play in the outfield. Morse finished the year slashing .205/.309/.359. Ramón Miranda
will likely take over in a similar role for the Spuds in 2045.

That left LHP Dominic Lawrence as the only arbitration case to go to hearings when the club and player couldn’t work out an agreement. Despite the southpaw swingman coming off a career-best campaign in 2044, the panel ruled in favor of the team, resulting in Lawrence earning $835k this upcoming year after making the league minimum ($500k) last season. Lawrence had reportedly gone to arbitration asking for $1.25M. Lawrence appeared in 36 games (29 starts), going 5-7 with a 4.35 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 155 innings. Sources believe Lawrence may move to the bullpen full-time in 2045 but will be asked to make emergency starts when needed.

By going 1-0 in arbitration, Lederer improves on his impressive record in hearings (32 in favor of team, 11 in favor of player) as general manger in Boise. When asked about his history of success in arbitration cases, Lederer said “That’s great and all but those aren’t the wins Inwas brought here to get. We need to be stacking up Ws on the field, not behind closed doors.”

With arbitration hearings in the team's rear view, Lederer turns his attention to free agency, as players filed for free agency today. Lederer expects to be busy and “in early” on several players. “I came out of the off-season last year not setting this team up for success. The team paid for it and our record showed it,” Lederer told BNN. “I promise that we will not come up empty this year. I expect that we add some important pieces even before the Winter Meetings so we can get back into the post-season in ’45.”
"My $#!? doesn't work in the playoffs." - Billy Beane Joe Lederer

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