Pittsburgh Pirates Avoid Arbitration With Eight Players

Eight members of the Pittsburgh Pirates roster got richer on Friday

Friday was the deadline for MLB teams and their arbitration players to come to terms on a contract for the 2020 season. If they failed to do so, then the case would go to a hearing to decide the player’s contract amount for 2020.

The Pittsburgh Pirates entered the day with eight remaining arbitration eligible players, they had already come to terms on a contract with utility man Erik Gonzalez earlier in the offseason. On Friday, the Pirates were able to come to terms with all eight of their remaining arbitration eligible players. This allows the team and these players to avoid having to go to an arbitration hearing and to focus on the upcoming season instead.

The eight players the team came to terms with, and the reported value of their one-year deals, are as follows:

• Josh Bell – $4.8 million
• Keone Kela – $3.725 million
• Trevor Williams – $2.825 million
• Adam Frazier – $2.8 million
• Joe Musgrove – $2.8 million
• Jameson Taillon – $2.25 million
• Michael Feliz – $1.1 million
• Chad Kuhl – $840,000

Outside of Feliz, who is in his second-year of arbitration, and Kela who is in his final year of arbitration, this was the first time each of these players were arbitration eligible. Each of these players received a nice pay raise, especially Kuhl who missed all of last season and Taillon who will miss all of 2020, both due to Tommy John Surgery.

After missing all of 2019, Kuhl is expected to return in 2020. What remains to be seen is if he will be a member of the Pirate starting rotation or if he will pitch out of the bullpen. Bell, Williams, Musgrove, and Feliz figure to be key members for the Pirates in 2020. As for Frazier and Kela, they remain on the trading block and it remains to be seen if they will still be members of the Pirate roster come Opening Day.