Astros shortstop Carlos Correa and Rays outfielder Tommy Pham both won their arbitration cases on Tuesday, Fancred’s Jon Heyman reports.
Correa, 24, was entering his first of three years of arbitration eligibility. He had filed for $5 million while the Astros countered at $4.25 million. Arbitrators choose one of the two submitted figures and since Correa won, he will be earning $5 million for the 2019 season.
Correa had a down year compared to his previous three seasons. He hit .239/.323/.405 with 15 home runs, 65 RBI, and 60 runs scored in 468 plate appearances. However, he dealt with back and oblique injuries, which explains the decline in production. Correa recently proclaimed his back to be in “perfect” condition.
Won the Arb case! @astros true professionals throughout the process... All Glory to God 🙏🏽
— Carlos Correa (@TeamCJCorrea) February 5, 2019
Pham, 30, was also entering his first of three years of arbitration eligibility. He filed for $4.1 million while the Rays countered at $3.5 million.
Last season, between the Cardinals and Rays, Pham hit an aggregate .275/.367/.464 with 21 home runs, 63 RBI, 102 runs scored, and 15 stolen bases in 570 plate appearances. He was much more productive upon arriving in St. Petersburg, albeit in a smaller sample size. Pham had a .730 OPS in 98 games with the Cardinals and a 1.071 OPS in 39 games with the Rays. He’s slotted in to be the Rays’ everyday left fielder in 2019.
Im glad I got to see the true business side of the game, now time to focus on baseball #Analytics 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
— Tommy Pham (@TphamLV) February 5, 2019
Athletics reliever Blake Treinen also won his arbitration case on Saturday while Nationals outfielder Michael Taylor lost his case on Friday. Players are thus far 3-for-4. Arbitrators have historically favored teams in their rulings.
