Donaldson, Machado headline arbitration-eligible players
The deadline for major-league teams to exchange salary figures with arbitration-eligible players is Friday at 1 p.m. ET.
With the deadline looming, a number of players and teams have already agreed on salaries for the 2018 season, though more than 100 players still remain without.
Friday's deadline is the cutoff for each side to establish a figure that it deems fair - all players are under team control, but the arbitration process determines their salary. The two sides can negotiate over the next several weeks, but if they can't come to an agreement, a arbitrator decides the player's salary based on the two figures submitted by the player and the team at a hearing. The arbitrator selects one of the submitted salaries - there is no middle ground or adjustment.
This year's class of arbitration-eligible players features a number of stars, including Josh Donaldson, Manny Machado, and Kris Bryant.
HIGHEST PROJECTIONS FOR 2018 ELIGIBLE PLAYERS
| Player | Team | Projection |
|---|---|---|
| Josh Donaldson | Blue Jays | $20.7M |
| Jose Abreu | White Sox | $17.9M |
| Manny Machado | Orioles | $17.3M |
| Charlie Blackmon | Rockies | $13.4M |
| Dallas Keuchel | Astros | $12.6M |
| Zach Britton | Orioles | $12.2M |
| Anthony Rendon | Nationals | $11.5M |
| Marcell Ozuna | Cardinals | $10.9M |
| Jacob deGrom | Mets | $9.2M |
| Drew Pomeranz | Red Sox | $9.1M |
| Didi Gregorius | Yankees | $9M |
| Kris Bryant | Cubs | $8.9M |
| Mookie Betts | Red Sox | $8.2M |
(Projections courtesy: MLB Trade Rumors)
Follow along with theScore's MLB offseason tracker in order to stay up to date on all the arbitration signings.