Arrieta, Donaldson among 156 players to file for arbitration

Major League Baseball announced Tuesday that 156 players - including NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta and AL MVP Josh Donaldson - have filed for salary arbitration, a right afforded to those under team control with three or more (but less than six) years of service time.

Players with slightly less than three years of service time can qualify for arbitration, too, provided they spent at least 86 days on the active roster (or MLB disabled list) in 2015, and fall within the top 22 percent in total service time among players with more than two years of MLB service.

Any arbitration-eligible player unable to agree to contract terms by Friday must exchange salary figures for the 2016 campaign with his club, and his pay for the upcoming season will subsequently be determined by an independent, three-person panel following a hearing that will take place between Feb. 1 and Feb. 21. Arbitration panels aren't permitted to split the difference in the two proposals, and must choose either the salary figure submitted by the player or the club.

Though players are free to negotiate with their teams until their arbitration hearings, certain clubs employ a "file and trial" policy whereby they will cease contract talks and proceed to a hearing if they're unable to agree to terms by Friday's deadline.