Pittsburgh Pirates Arbitration Round-up Update

Since our earlier coverage on the Pittsburgh Pirates arbitration eligible players, reports have surfaced of three other players that have agreed to terms to avoid salary arbitration.  For more extended coverage, view our post from earlier.

Earlier reports were that the Pirates had agreed to terms with six of the twelve eligible players who had filed for arbitration earlier this week.  That number is now nine, with Travis Snider, Tony Watson and Sean Rodriguez all agreeing to terms.  The remaining three who are almost certainly headed for arbitration hearings are Pedro Alvarez, Neil Walker and Vance Worley.

Breaking the news on Watson and Rodriguez was Mike Perchick, a sports reporter with WAPT news in Jackson, Mississippi.  There is no word as to how Perchick obtained the information, but it has been confirmed by multiple sources.  Watson and the Pirates reportedly have agreed to a contract worth $1.75m and Rodriguez will receive $1.9m.  Both players were projected to receive around $2m.

Per Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, Snider will receive $2.1m, just under a million more than the $1.2m he received last season.

Perchick also reported that Alvarez’s camp submitted a figure of $5.75m while the Pirates countered with $5.25.  Hung up over $500k, it is troubling the two sides could not come to terms and both parties would rather allow Alvarez to be slandered before an arbitrator than to come to an agreement.

Perchick went on to report that Walker’s representatives filed for a salary of $9m while the Pirates submitted a figure of $8m.  The difference being twice as much as Alvarez’s.  This could ultimately be the beginning of the end of Walker’s tenure with the Pirates as the relationship between the two appears to be strained and worsening by the day.

There has been no report as to the figures submitted on either side for Vance Worley who is expected to receive a significant bump in salary, projected by MLBTR to be around $2.9m.

Next: Pittsburgh Pirates Arbitration Round-Up