Washington Business Daily

Arbitration?

why do baseball players have to go through arbitration? and when are they eligible, and for how many years?

Public Comments

1. All arbitration is the way any normal person goes into his boss and asks for a raise.The individual shows his work from the previous year(s) and he or she shows what they think there worth for the work done for the company.A panel of judges looks at the work and decides if the person is due a raise or not.Arbitration usually occurs on the persons last year or after the season depending on contract experation. In short hes looking for the highest bidder.
2. Arbitration is for players with between three and six years of major league service, along with a small percentage of those with between two and three years. No player MUST go into arbitration. For one thing, only the team can offer arb. For another, they can work out a deal through continued negotiation and never actually go before the arb board. As arbitration cases can be fairly contentious and lead to some bad blood, avoiding it (in favor of striking a deal) is widely preferred. Offering and accepting arbitration does extend the negotiation window. Arbitration can be offered to players with greater service time, but they can decline it. If arb is not offered to a free agent and he signs elsewhere, his former team is not eligible to receive draft picks as compensation. Contracts reached through arbitration are for one year only. The board does not have wiggle room; they choose the offer from the team or the request from the player. There's more, but that's the basics.