Brewers arbitration thread (2/12: Hart wins case)

[chuckleslove]

Coffee worked out a deal with the Brewers so one more down.

[trwi7]

$2,025,002. Can earn $50,000 in incentives.

http://twitter.com/AdamMcCalvy/statuses/8039488231

[RayRayJones]

Great contract for the Brewers with Coffey if he can put up similar numbers this year.

[chuckleslove]

1 year deal for Bush. Only Hart and Villanueva left to work something out with.

EDIT: deal was just short of the midpoint of the figures with incentives for starts and IP to allow him to make up the difference.

[Captain Erv]

Agent: Bush "feels great"

By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel
Jan. 25, 2010 4:35 p.m.

I just spoke on the phone with Rex Gary, the agent for right-hander Dave Bush, who avoided arbitration with a $4.215 million deal earlier today.

Gary said Bush is "healthy now and feels great." That's good news for the Brewers becaue Bush was never the same after being struck on the pitching arm with a line drive last June 4 in Florida.

Bush spent two months on the DL and was not the same in his last seven games, going 2-5 with an 8.10 ERA. That fade doomed him to a 5-9 record and 6.38 ERA.

"It was a dissapointing season for Dave," said Gary. "He tried to pitch (after the injury) but he just wasn't right. But now he's healthy and that's the main thing.

Bush can earn another $110,000 in incentives for innings pitched but first he'll have to win a job in the starting rotation. Randy Wolf, Yovani Gallardo and Doug Davis will occupy the first three spots, with Bush, Manny Parra and Jeff Suppan, and possibly Chris Narveson, battling for the other two spots.

Arbitration contracts are not guaranteed.

[WEFFPIM]

Please, Dave. Don't implode this season. It's not funny anymore.

[chuckleslove]

Villanueva down, only Corey Hart remains now.

[Captain Erv]

Villanueva avoids arbitration

By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel
Jan. 26, 2010 5:02 p.m.

The Brewers continued to knock out contracts of arbitration-eligible players today when reliever Carlos Villanueva signed a one-year deal for 2010. I haven't seen the salary but the midpoint of figures filed was $937,500.

Villanueva was eligible for arbitration for the first time. He made $447,000 last season, when he had an up-and-down year while pitching in both relief and a spot starter.

The spot starter thing didn't go so well, with Villanueva going 1-3 with a 6.52 ERA in six outings. He had some good stretches and poor ones in relief, finishing iwth a 3-7 record and 4.84 ERA in 58 appearances.

With Villanueva signed, the Brewers have just one player remaining in arbitration -- rightfielder Corey Hart. He was the last soldier standing last year, also, agreeing to a $3.25 million contract just before a scheduled hearing.

Hart filed for $4.8 million, with the team coming in at $4.15 million.

[Kerb Hohl]

All players get a raise. Just depends how much. Does anyone think Carlos Gomez should've gotten a raise? No. It's just how the system works.

Baseball needs to fix this. It's just as bad as the NFL rookie contracts where Stafford gets paid more than most QBs not having played one down. I can only imagine how Johnny Estrada was able to capitalize off this system.

Really? Stafford gets 40 million guaranteed and could make 80 million with incentives and Weeks gets a signing bonus of 3.6 million for being one of the highest picks and an annual salary of 500k. If he never plays baseball again that's all he would have made at that point.

Then he gets arbitration, based on his performance and gets in the 2 millions which is nothing considering Corey Hart is going to make over 4 million and sucks. Everyone who holds a job in the world pretty much gets a raise as they continue in the company. Special cases such as the current economical state change that but you pretty much get that as you move along.

What did he get after arbitration, 2.3 million? Obviously a lot of money to you and me but that's not a ton in the MLB and a marginal raise.

[Thunder Muscle]

Sounds like Hart and Crew negotiations will be heading to an Arby hearing. Crew pulled their offer per JS.

My gut feeling is that the Crew and Hart will be parting ways eventually, which is fine with me. I've really soured on Hart.

[JeffJeckal]

I wouldn't mind us parting ways either now that we have Edmonds, but not getting anything for Corey would be foolish/will suck.

[Captain Erv]

We should be on the better end of the arbitration case.

[trwi7]

We're easily going to win this case. Anyone who posts on this board could make the case good enough to make them choose the Brewers number.

If Hart actually does win the case the Brewers should fire whoever argued it, because they would be clueless.

[WEFFPIM]

We're easily going to win this case. Anyone who posts on this board could make the case good enough to make them choose the Brewers number.

If Hart actually does win the case the Brewers should fire whoever argued it, because they would be clueless.

But he was an All Star!!!! We dumb fans made him an All Star!!!

[MickeyDavis]

Hart's hearing is Thursday
By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel
Feb. 9, 2010 9:33 a.m. |(26) Comments

The sides aren't supposed to reveal the dates of arbitration hearings but I've learned that rightfielder Corey Hart's hearing is scheduled for Thursday in Tampa, Fla.

At this point, there appears no chance that a deal will be struck before a hearing, which would be the first for the Doug Melvin regime. After Hart's agent, Jeff Barry, turned down the club's last offer on Friday, Jan. 29, negotiations ceased.

"We've had enough time to get a deal done,' said general manager Doug Melvin. "Right now, it looks like we've got the first case (to be heard)."

Hart, who made $3.25 million last year, filed a request for a $4.8 million salary. The Brewers offered $4.15 million, resulting in a gap of $650,000. The midpoint of the figures is $4.475 million, but the Brewers thought Hart's figure was too high and didn't offer a midpoint settlement.

Club negotiator Teddy Werner said the team's final offer was "significantly higher" than its filing number but short of the midpoint. That offer was removed from the table on Jan. 29 when Hart and his agent turned it down.

Werner and assistant general manager Gord Ash will attend the hearing but a law firm from New York will present the team's case. That tactic avoids a club official from having to say unflattering things about Hart, who will be in the hearing room.

At the hearing, each side has 60 minutes to argue its case. Then, they have 30 minutes to rebut the other's opening argument.

The case is heard by a three-person panel, which must pick one figure or the other. No compromise. So, if Hart wins his case, he gets a $4.8 million salary. If he loses, he gets a $4.15 million salary.

As Hart noted at the team's "On Deck" event, he gets a $900,000 raise even if he loses the case. But, he'll also probably leave a couple hundred thousand dollars on the table, so that's the gamble he's taking.

The sides probably will get the panel's ruling on Friday.

[Wiscfan92]

I don't see much upside on keeping Hart actually, unless we can get him for cheaper

[WEFFPIM]

Without Chewie, Miller Park would be devoid of country music.

Oh the calamity!

[chuckleslove]

I don't know how he thinks that he deserves 4.8 million dollars, I see no way the club loses this if they don't have an idiot arguing for them.

[MickeyDavis]

I wish these hearings were televised.

[chuckleslove]

I wish these hearings were televised.

lol, could be the best reality TV show ever.