5 players in line for big raises in arbitration

Spring training is finally on the horizon, but there's one last important date on baseball's offseason calendar still to come. Friday is the deadline for teams to settle with arbitration-eligible players before their cases will head to arbitration, and some big names have their paychecks hanging in the balance. There may even be some records set in this year's process, either through a settlement or a hearing.

Here are five players in line for big raises in arbitration this year.

Jake Arrieta

MLB service time: 5 years, 145 days
2016 salary: $10.7 million
Projected 2017 salary: $16.8 million

Last year, Arrieta turned his 2015 Cy Young Award into a very nice raise, as he and the Cubs avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $10.7-million deal that was a record for second-year arbitration-eligible players. Now, Arrieta's a World Series champion and he's about to hit the jackpot one year before free agency. His projected salary of $16.8 million would break Max Scherzer's third-year eligibility record from 2014 by over $1 million. The Cubs should be able to easily afford that price tag, or something close to it, meaning that no matter what his final figure is, he'll hit free agency as a very rich man.

Manny Machado

MLB service time: 4 years, 56 days
2016 salary: $5 million
Projected 2017 salary: $11.2 million

It might be surprising to see that Machado, a certified superstar in the AL East, only made $5 million last year. That's going to change in 2017, his second go-round at arbitration. He's projected to earn $11.2 million, only slightly lower than Miguel Cabrera's $11.3-million salary in 2007, still the second-year record for position players. If Machado doesn't surpass that mark this year, you can bet one more spectacular campaign will set the stage for him to do so in 2018. Even a settlement between Machado and the Orioles will boost his earnings significantly.

Nolan Arenado

MLB service time: 3 years, 155 days
2016 salary: $5 million
Projected 2017 salary: $13.1 million

A second straight year leading the National League in home runs, RBIs, and total bases to go along with another Gold Glove and Silver Slugger - not to mention the first top-five MVP finish of his career - puts Arenado in line for a massive bump in salary. He settled for $5 million after his breakout 2015 season, but that 2016 campaign shot him to superstardom, and he's going to get paid accordingly this time around. Should the Rockies and Arenado settle, expect it to still land above the $10-million mark; if he goes to arbitration, those RBIs will probably help push his 2017 salary into record territory.

Xander Bogaerts

MLB service time: 3 years, 42 days
2016 salary: $650,000
Projected 2017 salary: $5.7 million

Bogaerts is one of several big Red Sox names heading into arbitration for the first time, and his bank account is very happy about that. He's improved steadily during his three full seasons in the majors, and broke out to the tune of an .802 OPS and 21 homers for the Red Sox in 2016. That translates into a solid raise whether he can avoid the arbitrator or not, and he should cruise into the $5-million range after three years of minimum-level salaries. His future earnings could be even higher should he improve his numbers in the coming year, but for now a settlement or award of several million dollars will do nicely.

Zach Britton

MLB service time: 4 years, 158 days
2016 salary: $6.75 million
Projected 2017 salary: $11.4 million

Britton was pretty good in 2015, and he got a nice salary bump from the Orioles as a result. He was straight-up unhittable in 2016, and now the Orioles will have to pay for his nearly spotless 0.54 ERA and 47 saves, which helped them reach the AL wild-card game. His $11.4-million projection is actually higher than Machado's; while he might not get that exact number, a settlement will undoubtedly fall close to that total. No matter what, Britton's all but assured of at least a $10-million salary this season. Now imagine how high his 2018 salary could be if he has a third straight lights-out season.

(All projections courtesy: MLB Trade Rumors)