Freeman, Kimbrel, Stanton get steepest raises
"Thars GOLD on them diamonds"
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The average raise for a player in salary arbitration was 117 percent this year, according to a study by The Associated Press, led by steep hikes for Freddie Freeman, Craig Kimbrel, Giancarlo Stanton and Michael Brantley.
The 146 players who filed for arbitration averaged $3,859,912 under their new contracts, up from $1,778,081 under their previous deals. The average increase was just below the 119 percent increase last year.
Atlanta gave Freeman a 30-fold rise from $560,000 to an average of $16,875,000 as part of a $135 million, eight-year contract. The agreement with the first baseman is the largest in team history.
Kimbrel, the Braves' closer, received a 16-fold hike from $560,000 to an average of $10.5 million in a $42 million, four-year deal.
Stanton, a slugging outfielder with the Miami Marlins, got a 12-fold increase from $537,000 to $6.5 million.
Brantley, who led Cleveland in batting average while going errorless in the outfield, saw his salary rise 11-fold, from $526,900 to an average of $6.25 million in a $25 million, four-year agreement.
