A's avoid arbitration with 5; Graveman pending
OAKLAND -- The A's have come to terms on one-year contracts with shortstop Marcus Semien, catcher Josh Phegley and relievers Blake Treinen, Chris Hatcher and Liam Hendriks.
The club did not reach an agreement with 2017 Opening Day starter Kendall Graveman ahead of Friday's 10 a.m. PT deadline to exchange proposed salary figures with arbitration-eligible players for '18, but a deal can still be worked out before a hearing is required.
It's unlikely it reaches that point. Only four times since Billy Beane took over baseball operations in 1997 have the A's taken one of their players to a hearing -- and not until last year was the club defeated. Following a career-high 42-homer season, Khris Davis was the first to beat the A's in a hearing during Beane's tour, getting $5 million for 2017 rather than the club-proposed $4.65 million.
Earlier this week, the sides avoided a repeat hearing, agreeing to a contract that guarantees Davis $10.5 million this season.
Per MLB Network insider Jon Heyman, Graveman's camp filed at $2.6 million, while the A's came in at $2.36 million. The 27-year-old was limited to 19 starts in 2017 because of injuries. He compiled a 4.19 ERA over 105 1/3 innings, one year after posting a 4.11 ERA in 186 innings.
Semien, who was also arb-eligible for the first time, will reportedly earn $3.125 million in '18, after batting .249 with 10 homers in 85 games in a '17 season shortened by a right wrist fracture. Both Treinen and Hatcher, meanwhile, reportedly settled at $2.15 million.
Phegley, too, had his season disrupted by injury, succumbing to two stints on the disabled list for a second consecutive seasons. He hit .201 in 57 games.
Hendriks went 4-2 with a 4.22 ERA in 70 appearances out of the A's bullpen in 2017, striking out 78 batters over 64 innings and holding opponents to a .229 batting average.