Washington Nationals: Tracking the team’s arbitration settlements

The Washington Nationals have historically tried to settle with their arbitration-eligible players before exchanging figures. Track those settlements here.

With 1pm Friday being the deadline for teams and players to submit their figures for arbitration, we should see plenty of settlements before that time. The Washington Nationals have previously tried to settle before the deadline, so expect the same again today.

This isn’t the case for every team, for example, the Boston Red Sox appear to be going for a trial-and-file approach. So while the Red Sox would like to settle on a deal before the deadline, they’re happy to go through the arbitration process regardless.

The Nats actually got a headstart on proceedings by settling with Joe Ross for $1 million on Thursday evening, with the dollar figure reported by Robert Murray of The Athletic. This was actually a little less than he was projected to make as the front office tries to create some breathing room below the luxury tax.

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The Nationals now have four remaining arbitration-eligible players on their roster in Anthony Rendon, Trea Turner Michael Taylor, and Kyle Barraclough. Below we’ll keep track of the settlements that get reached between the Nats and these players or the current projections according to MLBTradeRumors and Cots Baseball Contracts.

Anthony Rendon

Rendon settled at $18.8 million, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Cots Projection: $18 million
MLBTR Projection: $17.6 million

Rendon is probably the most intriguing case, as there has been a lot of talk around whether he could get an extension this offseason. So if the Nationals feel they are close to an agreement, they may not try and settle as they focus on getting a long-term deal done.

Trea Turner

Turner settled at $3.725 million, according to Robert Murray of The Athletic.

Cots Projection: $7 million
MLBTR Projection: $5.3 million

Baseball is a game of inches, and in Turner’s case, a game of days. the Nats shortstop qualified for Super Two status by a single day, making him arbitration eligible this offseason. While it doesn’t affect the years of control the Nationals have over him, it means they have to pay him more handsomely for 2019 compared to if they allowed him to stay in the minors on more day.

Michael Taylor

Taylor and the Nats did not reach an agreement before the 1pm deadline.

Cots Projection: $4.5 million
MLBTR Projection: $3.2 million

Taylor may be another name to watch that could in theory not settle today, though that scenario seems unlikely. The reason being that the team could look to trade the centerfielder if Bryce Harper returns to D.C. and they may allow the receiving team to negotiate his salary instead. Again, that’s unlikely, as they could still trade him even if they settle, but there’s a small chance they may not settle.

Kyle Barraclough

Barraclough and the Nats didn’t reach a deal before the deadline.

Cots Projection: $2 million
MLBTR Projection: $1.9 million

The final arbitration-eligible player is probably the most cut and dry case of this years group of players. Acquired from the Miami Marlins for International Bonus Pool Money, Barraclough should be a good cheap option at the backend of the bullpen, and after a down season is a candidate to settle for less than his projection.

Keep an eye on this article as we’ll be updating it throughout the day as the Washington Nationals come to agreements with their players. It could even give us a sneak peek at a potential future move if an agreement is not reached.