Red Sox prevail over Fernando Abad in arbitration hearing
By Sean Penney
An arbitration panel ruled in favor of the Boston Red Sox after a hearing to determine the 2017 salary for reliever Fernando Abad.
The Boston Red Sox must be relieved to learn that they have a bit of extra breathing room in their budget.
The team announced that they won their case in an arbitration hearing with Fernando Abad to determine the left-handed reliever’s salary for the upcoming season.
This marks the first time that the franchise has gone before an arbitration panel since 2002, when they won their case over Rolando Arrojo.
Abad was seeking a raise in his third year of arbitration eligibility from the $1.3 million he made last year. He’ll receive a generous bump in salary, but not as much as he was looking for. Abad asked for $2.7 million, while the Red Sox were only willing to offer $2 million.
#RedSox won their arbitration case vs. Fernando Abad. He gets $2M instead of $2.7. Still, a raise from the $1.3M he made last year.
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) January 31, 2017
When the sides were unable to come to an agreement, the decision was turned over to a third party arbitration panel, who ruled in favor of the team.
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The decision comes as no surprise to fans that witnessed Abad implode on the mound following a mid-season trade that brought him to Boston. The lefty was in the midst of a solid season in the Minnesota Twins bullpen when he was acquired by the Red Sox, but he was unable to match that production with his new team.
Abad posted a brutal 6.39 ERA over 12 2/3 innings of relief for the Red Sox. He became an afterthought by the end of the season and wasn’t utilized in the team’s postseason series against the Cleveland Indians.
Many have wondered why the Red Sox bothered to tender Abad a contract rather than simply let him slip away after his disastrous stint, but a shortage of left-handed relievers may have enticed them into giving him another shot. Robbie Ross is currently the only southpaw reliever that we can count as a lock to make the Opening Day roster.
As poorly as Abad performed in Boston, he’s still capable of dominating left-handed hitters, holding them to a .153/.195/.264 slash line in 2016. If the Red Sox can find room in their bullpen for a lefty specialist then Abad can add value to this team.
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Abad may seem overpaid based on his dismal production last year and his expected role entering this season, but on the bright side, it could have been worse. The $700,000 in savings isn’t much, but for a team hell bent on staying under the luxury tax, every little bit counts.