On Jan. 9, arbitration-eligible MLB players and their teams had to agree to salary figures for the 2025 season. Players and clubs that cannot arrive at a decision before the deadline will head to arbitration hearings.
The Red Sox have fared well historically in arbitration hearings, winning 14 of the 20 cases they’ve had since 1975. This season, the team has four arbitration-eligible players: Jarren Duran, Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford and Garrett Crochet. The team has settled with the latter three already, and each will receive a hefty raise for 2025.
Here is a list of the five biggest winners in Red Sox arbitration hearing history.
Biggest arbitration figures handed out by Red Sox in history
Eduardo Rodriguez - $8.3 million, 2020
The former Red Sox southpaw was coming off a 2019 season in which he won 19 games in 34 starts with a solid 3.81 ERA, the best statistical season of his career. The two sides couldn’t come to an agreement, so the case was decided in a hearing. Eduardo Rodriguez lost his case but came away with a salary of $8.3 million for the 2020 season, roughly $300,000 less than he was asking. He was lost for the shortened 2020 season and returned in 2021 to less-than-stellar reviews before leaving in free agency.
Mookie Betts - $10.5 million, 2018
Mookie Betts was coming off a 2017 season in which he hit a career-low .264 for the Red Sox while driving in 102 runs and belting 24 home runs. The two sides couldn’t agree on a deal and Betts would go on to win his hearing and receive a team-record $10.5 million contract, which remains the highest arbitration contract in team history. Needless to say, Betts proved to be worth all that and more in 2018, winning the AL MVP on the way to the Red Sox winning the World Series. Yeah, this one seemed to work out just fine. Wonder what ever happened to this guy?
Fernando Abad - $2 million, 2017
Fernando Abad arrived in Boston during the 2016 season as a left-handed specialist out of the pen in a trade with the Twins. He would give up nine earned runs in 12.2 innings of work for the Red Sox down the stretch with eight walks. In 2017, he made 48 appearances for the Red Sox and compiled a 3.30 ERA in 43.2 innings. He became a free agent and never returned to the big leagues.
Rolando Arrojo - $1.9 million, 2002
In 2001, at 35 years old, Rolando Arrojo went 5-4 with a 3.41 ERA while splitting time between starting and relieving for the Red Sox. He "lost" his hearing and came away with $1.9 million for the 2002 season. It would be his final campaign in the big leagues after he made 29 appearances for the Sox with an ERA close to 5.00. For $1.9 million in the early 2000s, you, too, could have a rubber-armed journeyman pitcher.
Jody Reed - $1.9 million, 1992
Here is what a .280 average, limited power, limited range, and a perceived surly clubhouse attitude awarded Red Sox second baseman Jody Reed heading into his age 29 season back in 1992. Reed had just produced a .283 season with five home runs and a whopping six steals the season before. He "lost" his case and came away with $1.6 million from the Red Sox. When his average dipped closer to .240 in 1992 and his OBP hovered near .320, Reed was left unprotected in the expansion draft and was a Red Sox no more.
New Approach
The Red Sox were a regular participant in arbitration hearings in the 1980s and 90s. Players like Wade Boggs, Marty Barrett, Rich Gedman, Bruce Hurst, and even Tim Wakefield were subject to criticism and hurt feelings as the team had to justify a lower salary. Oftentimes, these feelings were carried over into the season and impacted what was already a rather testy clubhouse. Management has done a much better job since then, with only three arbitration hearings heard since 2002. Let’s hope things go just as smoothly this offseason and the team avoids the pitfalls of the past.