Categories
Arbitration Contract Negotiation Headline MLB Players MLB Teams

Looking Back At Arbitration In 2010

February is a dynamic, short month.  Certain areas of the United States experience their coldest temperatures of the year, but find that near the end of the month, it starts getting warmer and more enjoyable.  Baseball is very similar in the month of February.  The beginning of the month is marked by arbitration eligible players and their teams deep in negotiation over exchanged figures and possibly very mean and ugly arbitration hearings.  But near the end of the month, arbitration fades away, and Spring Training brings players and teams hope that it will be a successful year for all.

Arbitration season is now officially over.  Overall, the teams were victorious in 5 of the 8 arbitration hearings.  The teams won in the following hearings: Ryan Theriot (Cubs), Wandy Rodriguez (Astros), B.J. Upton (Rays), Brian Bruney (Nationals), and Sean Burnett (Nationals).  You read that correct; the Nationals had two hearings and won both of them (saving the team a total of $500,000 before attorney costs).  But in the end, who really wins from the hearings?  I think the following statement (from MLB.com) is very important to read.

[Sean] Burnett said Thursday night he was not upset about the arbitration process but wished he had come to an agreement with the team. He declined to say what the Nationals said about him during the hearing.

“It was interesting,” Burnett said by phone. “I learned a lesson. I don’t want to deal with it again.”

The three players who won their hearings were Cody Ross (Marlins), Corey Hart (Brewers), and Jeff Mathis (Angels).  Corey Hart’s win surprised some, but after he won, most people predicted that Cody Ross would have an easier job proving his case by just comparing his numbers with Hart’s.  Mathis is an interesting win.  His win proves that the arbitrators do not look only at a player’s main offensive categories.  For them to choose his $1.3 million offer, they had to look more at his defense and clutch hitting.

So let’s take a quick look back at the whole process.  128 players filed for arbitration, 44 players exchanged figures with their organizations, and only 8 went to hearing.  History suggested that the teams would have a narrow margin of victory vs. the players.  This turned out to be true.

The biggest win for the players was Corey Hart ($4.8 million vs. team’s offer of $4.15 million).  The biggest win for the teams was Wandy Rodriguez ($5 million vs. player’s offer of $7 million).

Last year, only 3 players went to a hearing.  In 2008, 8 players went to hearing (the same as this year).  In 2008, the clubs had a slightly better record (6-2).

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.

2 replies on “Looking Back At Arbitration In 2010”

Do you think it would have made sense for Burnett’s agent to advise him not to pursue arbitration and to just accept the $775,000 he will now be making anyway? The $925,000 he requested would have given him an extra $150,000, which is a lot of money, but is $.775 million that awful of a salary to make it worth potentially risking his confidence and ruining his career?

Comments are closed.