Boston Red Sox: 2017 salary arbitration projections

The Boston Red Sox have a number of players eligible for arbitration next season. How much will they be offered – if they receive an offer at all.

Projecting the total salary of the Boston Red Sox roster for next season is an important step for the front office to plan their budget early in the offseason before they consider splurging on free agents or trading for pricey veterans. The tricky part is that not every player on the roster has their salary set in stone.

The Red Sox have 11 players eligible for arbitration next season. Any player with more than three seasons of service time, but less than six, is eligible for arbitration. The process involves a bit of negotiation, but players typically hold a minimal amount of leverage. Unlike with free agency, teams don’t have to compete with others to drive up the price. If the two sides are unable to come to an agreement than an independent arbitrator will decide if the team’s offer is sufficient or if they are required to meet the player’s demands.

This leaves us with a bit of uncertainty in projecting next year’s team salary, but MLB Trade Rumors has devised a model of projecting arbitration salaries that has proven to be relatively accurate over the past several years.

Let’s examine which of these arbitration eligible players the Red Sox are likely to retain based on their salary projections.