George Springer and the Houston Astros have a large gap when it comes to salary negotiations in arbitration.
20 players are heading to arbitration to determine their 2020 salary, and Springer is one of two Astros on the list — the other being Aledmys Diaz.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Springer and the Astros have the largest gap in salary negotiations. Springer reportedly is seeking $22.5 million, while the Astros are offering $17.5 million.
The biggest arbitration case in terms of both salary and the gap between sides: George Springer vs. the Astros. He's asking for $22.5 million and Houston is offering $17.5 million, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 11, 2020
When teams and players submit desired salary figures, the two sides tend to reach an agreement somewhere in the middle. Arbitration works differently. An arbitrator hearing the case decides how much they think the player should earn based on players of similar service time and performance. If the arbitrator’s number is closer to the team’s figure, the player earns what the team submitted. If the number is closer to the player’s submitted salary, the player receives what they wanted.
In this case, it might make sense for Springer to receive $20 million, but he will instead make either $17.5 million or $22.5 million in 2020. MLB Trade Rumors projected Springer’s arbitration figure for 2020 to be $21.4 million. If the arbitrator sees it similarly, Springer will be earning $22.5 million.
2020 will be Springer’s final year of arbitration. He’s set to be a free agent after the season. The 30-year-old outfielder has made three straight All-Star teams and set career-highs with a .292 average, 39 home runs, 96 RBIs, .383 on-base percentage, .591 slugging percentage, and .974 OPS in 2019.
