A's agree with all 6 eligible for arbitration
OAKLAND -- The A’s reached a deal with all six of their remaining arbitration-eligible players before Friday’s 10 a.m. PT deadline, including star third baseman Matt Chapman.
Going through his first year of arbitration eligibility, Chapman received a nice bump in salary to $6.49 million, a source told MLB.com. Others reaching agreements on contracts for the 2021 season are Chris Bassitt ($4.9 million), Mark Canha ($6.925 million), Sean Manaea ($5.95 million), Frankie Montas ($1.8 million) and Lou Trivino ($912,500).
Contract figures, which were not announced by the club, were confirmed by sources to MLB.com.
The significant raise for Chapman is well deserved after he made an All-Star team and earned two Gold Glove and two Platinum Glove Awards over the past few seasons on six-figure salaries. Cot’s Baseball Contracts reported Chapman making $623,500 for the 2020 campaign prior to proration due to the shortened 60-game season.
A season-ending hip injury that limited him to 37 games last season did not seem to affect the earning power of Chapman, whose profile is quickly rising as one of baseball’s elite stars. Talk of a potential contract extension could soon get louder, as Chapman has two more years of arbitration before he becomes eligible for free agency in 2024.
Bassitt more than doubled his $2.25 million salary from last season, when he emerged as an unlikely ace who garnered a pair of third-place votes for the American League Cy Young Award. Bassitt finished the year with a 2.29 ERA in 11 regular-season starts, which ranked third lowest among AL starters.
Canha’s increase from his $4.8 million contract last season comes after posting a .795 OPS in 59 games. Canha, who turns 32 in February, was in his final year of arbitration eligibility and could be a free agent after the 2021 season.
Manaea gets a nice boost after making $3.75 million last season. The left-hander battled through a slow start to finish strong, posting a 2.65 ERA over his final six regular-season outings.
Montas ($573,500 in 2019 prior to proration) and Trivino ($568,500 in ‘19) both received pay bumps in their first year of arbitration eligibility. Montas was Oakland’s Opening Day starter and is expected to fill a spot near the top of the rotation in ‘21, while Trivino could have an opportunity to seize a closer role that is now vacant after Liam Hendriks signed with the White Sox earlier this week.
Friday marked the deadline for arbitration-eligible players and their clubs to exchange salary figures. Players who have three or more years of Major League service but less than six years of Major League service become eligible for salary arbitration if they do not already have a contract for the next season.
The A’s last went to an arbitration hearing in 2019, when Blake Treinen won a judgment of $6.4 million.