For the first time in a long time, there will be Nationals news today. Not news about the signing of a prominent free agent (unless Mike Rizzo has a surprise up his sleeve). But news about the status of four players who must either agree to 2024 salaries today or file for arbitration.
The four players on the clock today: Lane Thomas, Kyle Finnegan, Luis García and Hunter Harvey.
What’s actually happening today? Major League Baseball requires all players who are arbitration-eligible (between three and six years of big-league service time, plus a percentage of the most experienced players with less than three years) to negotiate and ultimately agree to their one-year salary figures. Anyone who doesn’t real a deal on their own must then submit a formal salary request, with the team also submitting its formal contract offer, and then an arbitration hearing is scheduled for February before a three-person panel which decides which offer wins.
The all-important caveat: Even if players and teams file for arbitration today, they’re still free to negotiate a deal on their own over the next month. And more often than not, those cases are settled before ever reaching the arbitration panel.
The Nationals actually entered the offseason with eight arbitration-eligible players. But Dominic Smith and Michael Chavis each was cut loose months ago, and Victor Robles ($2.65 million) and Tanner Rainey ($1.5 million) already agreed to their 2024 salaries back in November.
So that leaves the four remaining unsigned players who face today’s deadline. Three of them are arbitration-eligible for the second time; the other is a newbie.
Thomas figures to end up with the biggest salary of the group, coming off a career year that included 36 doubles, 28 homers, 86 RBIs, 20 stolen bases, 18 outfield assists and a .783 OPS. The 28-year-old made $2.2 million last season, his first as an arbitration-eligible player. That number could skyrocket to $7 million or more this time around, based on his 2023 performance.
Finnegan also stands to earn a sizeable raise from his $2.325 million salary last season. After notching 28 saves with a 3.76 ERA and 1.298 WHIP over 69 1/3 innings, the 32-year-old closer could be looking at a 2024 salary north of $5 million.
Harvey, at 4 years and 47 days of service time, is actually the most experienced of the four players. But because the 29-year-old’s career has been disrupted by countless injuries, his salary increases haven’t matched someone like Finnegan, who has been healthy through his four years in the majors. Harvey should get a nice bump from his $870,000 salary from last season, though, after pitching in a career-high 57 games while producing a 2.82 ERA, 10 saves and an 0.940 WHIP. He could top the $2 million mark.
García rounds out the group, a first-time arbitration player despite not yet having three full years of big-league experience. His 2 years and 142 days were enough to qualify him as a so-called “Super 2” player, which means he’ll actually be arbitration-eligible four times before becoming a free agent after the 2027 season. The 23-year-old second baseman made $738,000 last season but should wind up near $2.5 million after hitting .266/.304/.385 in 122 games.
Check back later in the day for updates on all four players from me and Bobby Blanco …
UPDATE: We've got our first signing of the day, with Lane Thomas agreeing to a $5.45 million salary, a source familiar with the terms confirmed. That's not as high as some of the projections had the figure, but it's still a sizable raise from his $2.2 million salary last year. (The Washington Post was first to report Thomas' new salary terms.)
UPDATE II: Luis García has joined the list, agreeing to his 2024 contract and avoiding arbitration. The terms aren't immediately known, though. So we're down to the two relievers. Which one will be setup man, and which one will close?
Update III: Kyle Finnegan and Hunter Harvey have agreed to terms on contracts for 2024. Finnegan agreed at $5.1 million and Harvey agreed at $2.325 million, per reports by The Washington Post.
The Nationals have avoided arbitration with all four eligible players.