Pittsburgh Pirates: Pedro Alvarez, Neil Walker Among Six Bucs To File For Arbitartion
By Matt Shetler
Oct 7, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Neil Walker (18) at the batting cage before playing the St. Louis Cardinals in game four of the National League divisional series at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The Pittsburgh Pirates had six players eligible to file for arbitration and to no one’s surprise, all six did so on Tuesday.
Third baseman Pedro Alvarez and second baseman Neil Walker head the list that also includes outfielder Travis Snider, first baseman Gaby Sanchez and relievers Mark Melancon and Vin Mazzaro.
The six Pirates were among 146 players around the league to file on Tuesday, which is really just a formality.
The more important deadline comes Friday, when the players and their representation exchange salary figures with the team. Most of the players will likely come to an agreement before a hearing needs to take place, but if that does need to happen, hearings are scheduled to begin February 1.
Players with at least three but fewer than six years of major league service time, or those who rank in the top 22 percent of players with more than two but fewer than three years of service time, are eligible for arbitration.
Snider, Sanchez, Melancon and Mazzaro will all likely get one-year deals from the Bucs and while the team does need to sign both Alvarez and Walker to long-term extensions, I wouldn’t expect that to happen this offseason with either guy.
The last time the Pirates went to a hearing with a player was with Garrett Jones in 2012, a rare occasion when the team won in the hearing process.