Tonight is the deadline for teams to decide whether to cut or keep arbitration-eligible players for next season. If the player is non-tendered, he becomes a free agent. If he is tendered a deal, it is essentially a guaranteed one-year contract. However, if he and the team cannot reach agreement on a salary, the player can choose to have that number determined by an arbitrator.
Ronny Paulino, Mike Pelfrey and Manny Acosta are all eligible for arbitration.
I had been expecting the team to offer arbitration to Acotsa, who, for an estimated $1 million, would worth keeping. But, I wonder if acquiring Ramon Ramirez and Jon Rauch last week will have an impact on how the team looks at Manny and his salary today?
Paulino will likely earn around $1.5 million. However, though that is probably market value for his performance, the buzz around the team indicates there are concerns about his lack of preparation and way about the clubhouse. Also worth noting, as Adam Rubin writes for ESPN, “If Paulino remains, the Mets will need to make a different 40-man roster move in order to have room to add free-agent relievers Frank Francisco and Jon Rauch, whose signings have yet to be officially announced.” I stil think he gets cut loose, since there are so many other alternatives on the free-agent market (all likely to earn around the same money).
According to this post on MLB Trade Rumors, LHP Tom Gorzelanny, LHP Joe Saunders, IF Ryan Theriot, and C Jesus Flores are all candidates to be non-tendered tonight.
