Mariners avoid arb, ink 5 to 1-year contracts

SEATTLE -- The Mariners came to contract agreements with all five of their remaining arbitration-eligible players prior to Friday's 10 a.m. PT deadline to exchange contract figures, making this the fourth consecutive year the club avoided any arbitration hearings.
Starting pitchers James Paxton and Erasmo Ramírez, and relievers David Phelps and Nick Vincent agreed to one-year deals on Friday, a day after word that catcher Mike Zunino had come to terms as well.
As per team policy, the Mariners did not release contract figures, but MLB.com sources and other media reports indicate Phelps will make $5.55 million, Paxton $4.9 million, Ramirez $4.2 million and Zunino $2.975 million, while no figures are available yet for Vincent.

The Mariners have had just two cases go to an arbitration hearing since 2000. Reliever Tom Wilhelmsen lost his case in 2014, with the panel choosing the team's $1.4 million offer over his requested $2.2 million. Starting pitcher Freddy Garcia won his case in 2003 when he was awarded $6.875 million over the team's $5.9 million offer.
Phelps, acquired by Seattle from the Marlins last July, had a history of taking his cases to arbitration. He asked for $1.875 million in 2015, but was awarded $1.4 million in his first year as a Super Two qualifier with Miami. He avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $2.5 million deal in '16, then won his case last year, receiving $4.6 million instead of the team's offer of $4.325 million.

This will be Phelps' last year of arbitration before hitting free agency. Ramirez and Vincent will become free agents in 2020, and Paxton and Zunino will be free agents in 2021.
Ramirez earned $3.215 million last year, Paxton made $2.35 million as a Super Two qualifier, Vincent earned $1.325 million and Zunino made $570,000.
Two other recently acquired Mariners -- utility man Andrew Romine and reliever Mike Morin -- avoided arbitration by signing deals earlier this winter. Romine agreed to a $1.05 million contract after being claimed off waivers from the Tigers in November. Morin signed a split contract -- $750,000 if he's in the Majors and $250,000 if he's in the Minors -- with the Royals before being claimed by Seattle in December.